Legame Eterno
by VintagexBeau
Summary: Separation is the first step to the road of freedom, that is until you have to walk back down the same road. Rated T for adult language, gore and suggestive themes.
1. Prologue

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**Legame Eterno**

Prologue

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"Money speaks louder than actions." Eyes shifted from their papers towards the middle aged man; he was at it again. I watch silently as he continued with his daily rantings, "...All of you know that, if it weren't true none of us would be sitting here now would be?"

Placing the tip of my pen between my teeth, I glanced around the large steel table. He was right, no matter how disgusting that saying may have sounded; we were all here for the money, nothing else could ever matter to the four of us. We were hired by a woman, who goes by the name of Miss. Dannii, to risk our own lives in order to recapture the twelve spirits of the black zodiac. No questions were asked when we were brought together that cold October evening; every second thought was throw out as soon as payment was brought to our attention. Two thousand dollars, each, twice a month for the next year. Forty-eight thousand dollars for the whole year. The man that just spoke, he was the first one to sign the contact; his name is Daniel Leigh. Daniel is the only male part of the "group", he's probably in his mid-thirties, balding, slightly overweight, almost no emotions, no family or friends. Nothing special about him, except for the fact that he can see and speak to the spirits of the dead.

Daniel noticed he was being stared at, a cold glare was thrown my way, "What are you looking at?"

Shrugging at him, I slowly looked at the older woman sitting next to Daniel; Angeline Bennett. Like Daniel, she didn't seem to mind the payment and signed without any thoughts of the consequences; she couldn't have been older that thirty, even if she did look like she could be a year or two older than myself. Angeline was the pin-pointer, her only job was the correctly locate the spirits that we were looking for at the time. She was good at her job. Never missed an assignment, even when we were looking for the replacement ghosts. Mrs. Bennett took it upon herself to take the role of "mother", always keeping the fourth person and myself on track.

"Leave her alone, Danny." Angeline said, a slanted smile on her anti-aging face. Daniel gave Angeline a disgusted look; he didn't like the nickname Mrs. Bennett had given him and made no attempt at hiding his hatred for the name either.

Again, my eyes shifted to the final person in the group; the bait. The sweet name I had giving the four person was to not learn anything that may remind me later, that they were inches away from me and I could have said something to let them run. The bait was used for every ghost we had to capture that day; they were offered the same amount of money we were, but they would never last long enough to cash in their first paycheck. This time around it was a young girl, to young if you asked me, with blond hair, blue eyes and the personality of a stick. None of that mattered, in a matter of days, hours, hell even minutes, she would be dead and no one would remember she existed. Not even to us. Daniel and I were smart, we stayed away from the bait; but Mrs. Bennett would always mother her, it was her nature. At times there were those days were I couldn't stand watching the bait just throw their lives out for the money. If I could, I would have more that likely told them to run, but my contact forbid me from sharing information with the bait. The littlest things could not be shared, names would be made up, hometowns along with family and friends did not exist.

The bait looked timidly around, catching my eyes on her, she smiled and can to sit closer to me. I could tell her was nervous, her hands wouldn't stop frigidity and her body actions made it seem like she was on alert. "So, where are you from again?" she was trying to make small take; I sneaked a look at Mrs. Bennett, giving me the "help-me" look. Mrs. Bennett merely nodded her head, telling me to just give me a conversation; we all knew there wouldn't be another living person she'd talk to.

"Allen." I lied, returning my eyes to the papers sitting in front of me. "I'm from Allen, and yourself?"

She giggled, flipped her hair over her shoulders and proceeded to tell me her life story, "Really! That's so cool. I'm from New York actually. Had to move out by myself since my mom was with a worthless loser boyfriend; she'd always pick him over me so I had to go." I looked back at her, the sudden sense of deja vu came over me.

Mrs. Bennett suddenly stood up from the table, "Beth, come help me make something to eat please." The bait nodded, saying she'd be back later to continue our conversation; I gave a fake smile.

Both woman left, leaving Daniel and myself alone. Beth, the bait, didn't exactly know what she was going to be doing for the next few weeks; she was told that she'd be participating in an experimental expedition. Poor girl, she came from the same background as I did.

Daniel threw a beige folder in front of me, "You should be working instead of making friends, little girl." No answer, but then again he wasn't expecting one now was he. "There is the file for that girl we capture last month, you still haven't check to see if she qualifies to replace The Angry Princess."

Opening the folder I came to find a black and white photo of the potential Angry Princess; Dorthy Miller. Age of death 19, cause of dead self mutilation to the face, chest, and torso. Raising the image to view point, I over looked her features; she was very attractive. "Did you read her history? What do they have in similarity."

Daniel scoffed, "I don't have a clue, that is you're job remember?" With that said, he pushed back his chair and headed into the living room; I didn't bother to complain, because he was right. My job in the group was to identify the new ghosts that were brought in, eventually replacing a few of the spirits we were not able to find. At this time, I had managed to identify three new ghosts that were replacements; The Torso, The Withered Lover, The Bound Woman. The new spirits have to share similar characteristics with the original black zodiac members; either they lived similar life's or they tragically passed away with similar consequences. Which isn't easy to find at time.

The Withered Lover was replaced by a man named Dennis Rafkin; age twenty-five, and died in late 2001. Newspapers reported that he was killed in the glass mansion of the deceased Mr. Cyrus Kriticos after the power room went berserk, causing an explosion that Mr. Rafkin sadly did not escape. When we went to investigate ourself; Daniel conformed that Dennis was indeed killed in the home, but not in the way explained in the newspapers. In reality, Dennis was killed saving a man, who could not be identified by Daniel, and was badly thrown around by two of the original members of the black zodiac; The Hammer and The Juggernaut. Dennis Rafkin was by far the easiest capture, there was no need to use a bait for this spirit. The similarities between dead of the original Withered Lover and Dennis Rafkin lay in the saving of another person, giving Dennis the opportunity of becoming a replacement.

The Torso, was another member of the black zodiac that was needed to be replaced. Nathaniel Henderson, a gambler by nature, was killed in the exact say The Torso was; chopped up into three different pieces: head, torso and lower half. Nathaniel was killed in the early 1950's, by none other that a closer relative who was extremely active in the mob business. After betting a large amount of money in a boxing competition, and losing, Nathaniel was encountered by his relative, warning him to pay up or else. Time came for the payment and Nathaniel could not make the money appear; seeing as he was family to the mob member they had no choice but to kill him in order to make sure he never spoke of the events that followed. The next morning, Nathaniel's torso was found in the town river. No one was ever suspected for the crime, the case was closed.

The Bound Woman seemed to have been the most deadliest of the spirits we had trouble with; Mrs. Bennett had successfully located her, but by the end of the night we had lost a little over half of the male that were put into the capturing of Susan. Miss. Dannii had come to the conclusion that we were going to have to look for a replacement; she did not want to lose anymore of her employees. That is how we found Lilith Kat, a junior student who had been stabbed and strangled the night of the school senior prom. Apparently, Lilith was well known for her promiscuous way in school; didn't really sit well with her prom date. After being caught in the boys bathroom with a group of boys crowded around, her date went insane. Needless to say, little 18-year-old Lilith Kat was never seen again; her date was arrested the next day and placed in jail on June 18, 1932, one month after Lilith's dead.

As for the original ghost that we have managed to track down once more, they were a handful to capture. The Great Child and Dire Mother, were out first ghost that we caught; only seven men were killed that night, bait had to be used to attract both ghost into different pods. The Pilgrimess, The Hammer, and The First Born Son were also other that we found once again and were placed in individual pods, sent back to the home of Miss. Dannii.

If you've been keeping count, that's nine down and three to go.

The Juggernaut.

The Jackal.

And...

The Torn Prince.

"Take a break kid," Daniel yelled back into the meeting room. Mrs. Bennett was sitting next to me, I must have spaced out once again, the copies of the remaining zodiac members were laid in front of her. Daniel walked casually back into the room, a drink in his hand; "We're going after the new ghost tomorrow night." I gave him a puzzled look, we had just captured someone two nights ago, no break this time around? He must have read my mind, "No break, this one is close; Miss. Dannii doesn't seem to want to waste anytime. The Jackal is next."

Oh, how rude of me; I never did introduce myself now did I? My name is Annie Timberline; age twenty-three, no family and almost no friends. Father died when I was younger and my only sister left after my mother gained an abusive boyfriend. Mother died giving birth to a step-sibling, who also died the same night, and step-father fell into a depression that sent him into suicide. All these events finished taking place before I was even old enough to drink; since then I've been living by myself. If any of you find my name slightly familiar, it might be of that mysterious fire that burned down an entire town. The quiet, ideal family town of Victoria was burn to the ground on December 23, 1999.

My mouth went dry, "When do we start?"


	2. Chapter 1

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter One.

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It was early in the morning when Daniel and Mrs. Bennett decided on saving time and starting the search earlier than usual; Beth, the bait, and I were shuffled into the black SVU. However groggy I might have felt, it was time for my part of the morning rush to start. Beth was starting to ask to many questions for her own good, I could tell she was starting to get suspicious with the sudden departure.

"Don't worry," I mumbled fighting the urge to just let her deal with it herself. "It's normal, here have something to drink." She gave me an uneasy glance and tried to open the car door. Oops, guess I forgot to tell her the doors could only be open from the outside. Beth pulled harder against the door, so I came to the conclusion that she wasn't going to take my offer for the drink. _They always have to make it hard_, I think to myself, swiftly grabbing a bottle hidden underneath the seats.

Daniel was the first one to get into the SVU through the drivers side; Beth tried to make a move by going straight to the opened door, but she didn't move fast enough. I jumped on her, pushing her on her back, and placed a rag over her mouth and nose. She struggled, no surprise there, but eventually I could feel her slowly losing strength and contentiousness. Only moving off her when I was sure it would only be a matter of seconds before she was knocked out, I stared at Beth as she stared right back at me. The only words that came to my head were, "I'm sorry."

The passenger door opened and closed; the SVU started and slowly rolled away from the place we had called home for the last day or two. In a few hours we'd be at your new home, possibly with one less person to have to worry about...

The radio played a mainstream song, _"Haunted"_ by Kelly Clarkson, how more ironic can you get? The song drifted away as it completed it's run and static was its replacement. Daniel turned the radio off. It wasn't long before the silence managed to eat away at our sanity.

Daniel looked at me through the rear view mirror, "It took you longer to get her to go into dreamland. I think you're starting to lose it, kid."

No answer. I looked over at Beth from the corner of my eye; her arms were bound, legs as well, her mouth was taped shut, and eyes blindfolded. "She's out of it isn't she?" I answered calmly, and returned to my research of the Angry Princess file.

Daniel looked away and proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the drive.

-

Enigma, something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained. Why did I just quote the big fat dictionary that was currently lying on the floor? No idea, but at the moment that is the only word that is running across my head. Enigma. That's what the last fifteen years have been to me, something I just wasn't willing to understand. The things I held dear to my heart were torn away from me, starting with dad and ending with a loving step-father. My how God does love to toy with the lives of his creations, not that I can blame him really; humans are flicked creatures. Myself being the perfect example.

...That day, when **HE** showed up, I had planned on giving myself a one way ticket to hell; it was only childish to believe the real hell would have been much easier to deal with than the fictional hell my mother had forced me to endure. I had tried so hard to stay strong for mother for almost six years, Allie, my older sister, didn't last that long. She only suffered for three years, at the sweet old age of eighteen she was gone and nothing was ever heard of her again. To this day I still know nothing of her, but I have a feeling that it's better that I know nothing of her. Mrs. Bennett offered to check if she could locate her, but if she did locate my sister that would mean only one thing; Allie was dead. I didn't want to know that.

Continuing with my "Humans are flicked" lecture, as I say; I had planned on committing suicide that night, but that boy showed up and, for some unknown reason to me, the thought of personally removing myself from the world was thrown to the trash. You'd think the sight of a boy far beyond an expiration date and grotesque appearance would have had me running as far as possible from him, but it was just the opposite. I was fascinated by the dead boy. Which at times scared me in my sixteen year old mind when I was left to cope in my room.

The most horrifying thing, now in my mind, is that I was truly attracted to him. **HE** was the only male presence that seemed to enjoy my company; the James Dean look-alike appeared out of nowhere giving me a slightest hope that maybe there were better people. What am I talking about...

Royce Clayton, who I now refer to The Torn Prince for work reasons, was my fictional 'knight in shinning armor' with a distorted twist. The Prince saved me twice, I never got a chance to thank him for the second one, nor did I mention it to anyone... When the fire had broken out in our house, no one was home but me. I was asleep in the living room, after packing the last few things that were left around, and were it not for him I wouldn't be here. I only remember because I awoke when I felt him moving me, though I couldn't see him, and I was outside in the blink of an eye. He said nothing to me; I watched from the front yard as our home burn down, along with all the neighbors homes too.

Why?

Why had he come to my rooftop? Why me? He had told me that I 'entertained' him, he was attracted to me. I had a long time to think after we moved to Europe and came to the sad realization that I was only a plaything. Like he said that final night, _'You entertain me.'_

That night was still so vivid in my mind, it's been playing in my mind since the day I started working for Miss. Dannii. I'll tell you the truth, I wanted to block all these memories away; lock them away in the darkest, most isolated place I could find in my mind so I could just forget. Believe I was another normal woman with problems that everyone had to work through, but I knew that wasn't the case.

It never would be.

-

The sudden stop of the car awoke everyone up, nearly sending Beth and I down to the floor. Daniel looked back at us, an apologetic look on his face, and said we were here. I looked around unsure of where exactly "here" was; from the window I saw rows of homes, all with the picket white fences, some children playing in the caged lawns and women keeping a watchful eye on their offspring. Daniel started down one of the eerily serene street, odd looks were giving towards the car, but what scared me the most was how the women and children were dressed.

"Where the hell are we?" I found myself whispering, almost a little to afraid to look back out the window. Both Mrs. Bennett and Daniel seemed to have thought the same thing I was; these people were frozen in the era of the baby boom and innocences. I felt a sudden tug at me heart as the words just spilled out of my mouth, "..._How 50's._"

Daniel continued driving down the road, "The Jackal is here?"

Mrs. Bennett nodded her head, "Yes, he is. Or are you questioning my findings?"

There was a small silence, but I quickly answered for Daniel. There was no way Mrs. Bennett could get it wrong, she hasn't for the last nine ghosts. "Where are we, really?" I asked once more, hoping for an answer this time around.

"Who cares, the less we know the better." Answered Daniel.

_Not the best time to be fighting, Danny._ I thought, peeved that I still didn't have an answer to my simple question. There really wasn't much else I could say, instead I glanced over to check if Beth was stating to come around. Her eyes were closed, but they were moving widely around; a nightmare. She was going to be awake anytime now, which wasn't good because then she'd be causing a seen, and seeing a where we are currently located...a girl bound and gagged didn't seem to fit well. Taking the bottle from this morning back out, I mimicked the actions taken; poured a bit on the rag and held it close to her nose, she calmed down a bit.

Another hour of driving and we were at an abandoned meat factory; "Porkies Meat Market" was what it was called. The sign was barely readable, decay had taken over and was eating away at the stupid smiling pig that was painted on the front, color chipping off all over the location. Home sweet home. Daniel was the first to get out of the car, Mrs. Bennett was soon following; I started putting all the papers back into their folders, stuffing those folders into a backpack I bought a few days ago and searched for the loose books I brought along with me. The most important was book was of the black zodiac, the official name I was told by Miss. Dannii, but honestly I didn't bother remembering it. I only knew that if the book became lost or was missing, I would be in deep shit. Because of this little fact, that book never leaves my side.

Both backseat doors opened; Daniel on Beth's side and Mrs. Bennett on mine. Daniel carried Beth into the factory, while Mrs. Bennett helped carrying some of the less important books.

"How do you plan on going through with this?" I asked Mrs. Bennett as we situated our travel things to the corner. A sly smile was placed on her lips, which could only mean that she was going to leave that difficult task to Daniel; oh what joy. When it came to planning, Daniel was a Class-A piece of work; he knew what he was doing and with his plans there were no mistakes. I actually did enjoy his plans, they left the three of us with minimal to no harm; everything was left up to the bait and the few men that were sent for the night job.

As if on cue, Daniel stepped back into the large room; Mrs. Bennett and I moved towards him.

"So Danny," Mrs. Bennett began. "What are you planning do to tonight, this will be one of the top three most horrific and terrifying ghouls you'll have to help in the capture."

"We do this as soon as possible." Daniel answered quickly. What no smart ass remark from Mr. Leigh? Again, he must have read my mind for he gave me a cold glare and added; "I don't have a good feeling about this place. It's weird, those people in the streets didn't look natural."

No arguments there.

"Fine." Mrs. Bennett answered casually. "Call Miss. Allen and tell her we are going to need about a dozen or so men, she should expect The Jackal captured as soon as it can be done."

Miss. Allen? Dannii Allen. I now know her full name, but if Mrs. Bennett and Daniel knew her full name why didn't they ever say anything? There was no time to ask questions, it was time to get down to work and prepare Beth for her untimely death. The three of us separated into different ways; each already knowing what was expected from the other. In the next room Beth was laid on the bed, apparently I didn't put enough of the drug in her system, that or she stopped breathing for the second I put the rag back under her nose. Either way, she was wide awake now and was struggling to break free from her bonds.

"I wouldn't bother," I said, gaining her full attention. I could feel her cold glare as I walked towards the window opening it for some fresh air. A pitiful smile was on my face when I turned back to look at her; she was planning something...I could tell from the way her eyes quickly looked at the entrance. "Again, don't bother. You won't make it far and believe me I don't want you getting hurt..." at least not until we're doing getting what we need from you. Her face dropped from the disappointment; did she really think she was going to get away? A small giggle escaped my lips.

"Lef mh go." Beth pleaded.

I shook my head no, causing her to grow enraged and returned to her efforts of releasing herself. Not caring much more to her games, I grabbed Beth by the hair and brought her to eye level with me. "Listen, you're wasting your energy and eating away at my patience, so shut up and enjoy what's left." I released her hair, she dropped back down to the bed and tears were starting to slowly run down her face. Pulling back, I turned my back towards her and walked away. But stopped before I exited and looked behind my shoulder, Beth was still watching me behind angry tears.

"Pray, Beth. Prey until you can't pray anymore..." I looked away, "we're both going to need all the help we can get after tonight."


	3. Chapter 2

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Two.

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The sudden wash of realization hit me harder than it did the last few times; why couldn't I get use to the feeling? The headache slowly reared its ugly head, as I searched for the pills I had been smuggling with me for the ride. They were sedatives, able to calm my nerves and help me push past the whole ordeal; on the other hand they also caused me to blackout or loose consciousness. Which was why I only took them after we were finished with our job, but this time I couldn't seem to wait.

"What are you doing."

It was just my luck that Daniel walked past the room I was in; I stuffed the pill into my mouth and ignored the hard hand on my shoulder. He forced my mouth open, but it was too late I had already shallowed the pill. I stared up at him, waiting to the potent to take its affect.

Daniel pushed me against the wall, his hand hurting my shoulder, and snatched the bottle. He glared at me, "What the hell is wrong with you! Is this why you crash every time we finish capturing a ghost?" I didn't answer, but he continued; "Who gave these to you?"

"No one." I muttered out, pushing his hand away from me.

Daniel rubbed his eyes and turned his back on me, "I'm babysitting a child... You are not to leave this building, I'm sending you to the control room and you won't be in there alone. Seeing as you've drugged yourself, I'm not trusting that you'll be awake for much longer." He stopped to see if I was going to answer, seeing as I wasn't he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the stairs to head to the second floor. "Don't touch anything, I'm sending Mason up here with you; let him do everything, just keep an eye on the screens for as long as you can. Don't mess this up, Annie."

We reached the 'control room', which was really just a small room were all the electronic equipment was hooked up. Usually Daniel is the one in here, by himself, while Mrs. Bennett and I are outside looking for the ghost and trapping it in the clear cube. Daniel sat me on a chair, and I watched him turning on the screens. On the screens I saw Beth being cuffed in the middle of the clear pod that was going to house The Jackal. Soon there was sound in the room and Beth's sobbing, cursing and yelling filled the small dark room. Daniel turned back to me, an ear piece in his hand, and proceeded to place it in my ear. Checked to make sure it worked correctly and called for Mason over the walkie-talkie that was tied to a vest he had on.

Daniel sighed, rubbed his eyes again, and took a good look at me; "Is it working yet?"

I shook my head no. On the screen I could see four different places; the cage, the front of the building, the stairs, and the entrance from town to the factory. "They're not going to suspect anything?"

"No. They won't." Daniel answered coolly, "most of the people here don't seem to like getting involved with outsiders. Mrs. Bennett and I went to ask simple questions to the coroner and even he didn't want to talk to us about the bodies they found."

So that's where they went when I was stuck babysitting Beth and over looking the placement of the equipment when the men came. The door opened, a tall, dark haired man stepped into the room; he wore the same black uniform every other man wore that worked for Miss. Dannii. Mason, he wouldn't have been much older that myself, if I had to guess I'd say twenty-eight or nine. How ever old he was, it didn't matter; he stood in front of Daniel, never giving me a glance.

"Mason, you're going to be put in here tonight." I saw Mason's face light up and a look of relief washed over him. "Miss. Timberline is going to assist you in the activation of the recording..." I cocked an eyebrow, Daniel was making it seem hard to just sit on your ass most of the night and push a button. "...you are not to leave the room, Miss. Timberline is not to leave this room either, nor your sight. Understood?"

Mason nodded his head, "Yes."

Jeez, if I weren't under the influence right this second, I'd have to say that Daniel was starting to sound more like a father then a co-worker. I openly stared at him, needless to say Daniel noticed my stare and gave me a 'behave-or-after-this-your-in-deep-shit' look before he headed out the door...

That was almost four hours ago, I was dying of boredom and finally my sedative was stating to kick in. Mason was bored too, I could tell, but he didn't complain and even make an attempt of starting small talk. Great, the silent type. Looking back at the screen, I kept my eyes on Beth; she had giving up with the screaming and cussing about two hours ago, but the silent tears were still rolling down the face. Was _he_ coming or not? Did he not find Beth appealing, or was this just too easy? Maybe it was.

Suddenly a scream from the ear piece forced me out of my thoughts; Mason was sitting up straight and looking closely at the monitor. The lower left screen was growing hazy, but the faint sound a something hitting metal caught my attention.

"What's going on down there?" Mason asked into the intercom.

"Nothing yet," Daniel replied back.

A knot was starting to built in the pit of my stomach, something wasn't right. Mason reached into his pocket and pulled out those infamous clear glasses, handing me a pair also. What good would they do in here? I grabbed the intercom and watched the screens, "...who screamed?"

There was static, but it slowly cleared up with Daniel answering back, "It must have been Beth, put Mason back on."

I pulled away from the large electronic and passed around the room, the sedative were making my more agitated then ever. Leaning against the cornered wall, I closed my eyes and forced myself to relax, nothing was going to happen while I was in here. Again I heard an object sticking metal, but it was closer this time around. My eyes opened, glued to the entrance of the room and I felt my heartbeat speeding up. _This is why you wait to finish the job first then take the drugs,_ I scolded myself slowly dropping to the floor. I looked back to where the screen would show the stairs, but it was still hazy.

"NO! HELP ME!"

I jumped and almost pulled the ear piece out of my ear, but the voice of Mrs. Bennett and Daniel telling everyone to stay away caught my attention. Standing back up, I pushed the metal chair closer to Mason and sat, waiting for the instructions. We could both hear the screaming, the sound of somebody giggle sadistically and the yells of men. Something slammed hard against the door, we both jumped and stared.

Neither of us moved. Another strong slam shook the door.

"Mason, get ready to start the recoding!" we both head Daniel shout over the ear piece.

Mason looked at me and pulled me closer to him, "Do not move." I nodded, there wasn't anywhere I was going; the only way out was being pummeled by someone. Watching Mason carefully, I sat petrified. Gaining all the courage he could muster, Mason pulled the door opened and waiting for something.

There was nothing.

Mason stepped into the hallway and looked down both sides, while I looked back towards the screen. The room grew cold and I suddenly felt like everything was starting to go slower. A chill ran down my spine, forcing me to look back towards the door. My breath stopped, this couldn't be happening.

"...push the button!" I head dimly in my ear.

It was him; The Torn Prince, the one and only. Just as I remembered, expect for the darkened eyes that were staring at me. A sinister smirk was firmly placed on his face as his attention returned to the person in front of him.

Mason.

"No! Mas-" the rest never made it out of the mouth. I quickly stood back, my hand pushed against my mouth in shock and time started to return to normal. Turning away, I could hear more screaming inside my head and the shouting of Daniel telling Mason to turn the chant on. I checked over my shoulder and found only the body of Mason on the floor; The Prince was gone. I pulled on the intercom, tears threatened to start falling, "Daniel! Help, please. We have a complication!"

Daniel's response was slowly fading, "Ann...wrong...push...now!"

I felt the sudden sense of being watched, he was back. I pulled away as the bat made contact with the intercom, barely missing my skull. He was staring at me and I stared back; he seemed to have hesitated with the next strike, but nevertheless, he attacked and I moved away, hitting the back of my head against the wall in the process. Ignoring the pain, I screamed as another blow was headed straight at me. Moving back towards the monitors, I took one last look at the one with Beth; she was being scratched at by something. As I pushed the button, I felt him grab a hand full of my head and pushed me back forcing me against the wall.

I took one last look at him, Royce Clayton. There was no remorse in any of his features...did he not remember me? There was the same smirk on his face as he raised the bat. I glared back, the thought of betrayal hurt more that anything right now. Was it ironic that he had saved me those years ago...just to end up killing me in the end.

"Dammit Royce..." with that, everything went black.


	4. Chapter 3

I was expecting to see bright lights, the heavenly pearly gates waiting for my approach and maybe even God himself...or at least an assistant. Instead, I heard voices gathered around me; there were bright lights, but they were coming from florescent bulbs. There was a faint sob from above my head and I could feel a hand grasping my own; my head tilted to the side, trying to figure out where I was. One thing I could tell was I wasn't in the factory anymore, instead I was greeted by the moving of white walls and people franticly closing in around me.

"Trauma to the head," I heard someone say loudly.

A different person checked my eyes, forcing them open and hovering a small flashlight over each one, "Check for damages, or swelling inside the head."

I weakly pulled away from the person's grasp, a familiar voice reached my ears; "Is she going to be alright!?" Daniel. I tried to say something, but everything around me started growing darker, the voice were slowly disappearing, and suddenly...it was gone.

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Three.

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_XX:XX xm.; July 07, 2007._

I woke up a few hours ago in this hospital bed, Belvedere Hospital to be exact. I didn't die. And I'm grateful for that, knowing just well it wouldn't have taken much for him to kill me... like he did Mason. Doctor DeWulf came in asking how I was doing, what I could remember, and how my 'accident' happened. I had to play dumb, if I didn't know better I'd have to suspect this doctor wanted to know too much for his own good, but it was his job. And I wasn't making it any easier.

"_You're parents are here," Doc. DeWulf said checking over the papers in his clipboard._

_I stared at him like a deer in headlight, "Um. Can I see them...?"_

_Closing the clipboard, he gave me a sweet smile and nodded his head, "Of course, I'll send a nurse to get them."_

Doctor DeWulf stayed awhile longer, even when my 'family' came in to welcome me; Mrs. Bennett and Daniel. DeWulf explained to both of them that they didn't have much to worry, I wouldn't suffer any brain damage, no loss memory, just a bump on the side of my head for the next week or two. Mrs. Bennett was by my side as soon as the doctor left; her motherly instinct was working over time. Daniel, however, stayed against the wall and kept an eye on the entrance.

_Mrs. Bennett brushed away the chocolate colored bangs away from my face, "How are you doing sweetie?"_

"_Fine." I muttered, slowly pulling away from the nurturing hand, "I'm fine, just a little head ache." I brushed past the bump on my head and hid the flinch._

_Daniel spoke, avoiding eye contact, "I- We are going to hold back for a week. You need to get rested, besides... our complication is still sticking around." So he had heard me that night; Daniel finally looked towards Mrs. Bennett and I and continued, "We captured the Jackal, the best catch, so we are having a break."_

_I didn't find anything to say for a short while, but the sudden thought of the dead of the man entered my head. "Did you see?" I paused slightly, "Mason died."_

"_Everything was cleaned, Annie, there's nothing to worry." Mrs. Bennett whispered to me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I smiled back, but I wasn't worried... I was ashamed._

Before they left, Daniel said that Miss. Dannii was worried about my safety in the hospital so she was sending someone to keep an eye on me. Not knowing what to say, I nodded at him and watched them go.

I was alone again.

_8:46 pm.; July 08, 2007._

It was boring today, aside from the large migraine that came and went, nothing of interest happened. A man named Jack, he wouldn't give me his last name, arrived around noon and informed me that he was to be my bodyguard for the next two weeks and was hired by who other than Miss. Dannii. He didn't talk much, all day he stayed in his corner by the window reading a book, or magazine, or newspaper. The only time he watched me was when the nurses came by to leave me food or when I started writing in the notebook I found next to my bed yesterday.

I drew a picture today, can you guess who it is? I'll give you some hints; it's a male, he's dead, I've referred to him as a James-Dean wannabe punk. I'm sure by now you've guessed correct; The Torn Prince was my object of inspiration for the day.

Although I only drew half his face, it was the face of the side of the prince that I had grown accustom to seeing; it was also his handsome side. I couldn't draw the other side, it wasn't because of the deformity, it was more to do with the fact that to me...this other side was one I did not what to remember. I see it as a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, sort of thing.

"_What are you writing," Jack said, taking the notebook from my grasp and studying the portrait._

_I glared at the slightly older man, "What the hell are you doing?"_

_Jack smirked and pulled a chair next to the bed, keeping the notebook away from my reach, "Whose this? You're boyfriend."_

"_You ask to many questions." I spat, sitting back in my bed, refusing to play the childish game of keep-away. Jack didn't respond and handed the notebook back, placing it on my lap. A nurse came in once again to check my condition; I watched in silence as she came and went, Jack stayed put next to me. "Last name?"_

"_Hm?" Jack stood up, but only to retrieve a newspaper he had left in his corner, and slowly returned back._

"_Last name, buddy." I repeated, "what's your last name."_

_He sighed and opened the newspaper, only give the respond, "Now whose asking to may questions."_

The day passed quickly, I received a visit from Mrs. Bennett for an hour; Daniel was tied up somewhere else, but I didn't ask. Doctor DeWulf greeted me before visiting hours were over, checked my bandaged head and went on his merry way.

Nothing else after that.

_6:29 am.; July 09, 2007._

He's here.

I know he is.

No glasses, so I can't actually make sure he is.

_8:34 pm.; July 09, 2007._

They drugged me, I just woke up from being heavily sedated because of an outburst I caused earlier this morning. Doctor DeWulf was in the room with Jack Urban, yes I figured out his last name without his help, when I was calmed down. Re-reading the few words I wrote down on the last page scared me; was he really here? Maybe I had made up the whole thing.

Yes.

I'd had to.

Anyways, Mrs. Bennett and Daniel didn't visit since I wasn't awake to have any visitors.

God, what a waste of a day...

_1:03 am.; July 10, 2007._

I'm not sleeping, even if I wanted to I can't. The sensation of being watched isn't the most comforting feeling of going to sleep with. I'm not insane, I didn't make up the feeling of someone else being in the hospital room with me either from yesterday morning. But I'm not going to make a scene, if I just ignore it...it'll go away.

Could he remember me? Was that way he didn't kill me, just give me a concussion for a couple of hours. No, if he did he wouldn't have hit me. Then again, we did end our _friendship_ on a sour note.

What am I saying, he's part of the black zodiac and there is nothing but hatred and destructiveness in the making of one of those members. Now that I know of all the things that a black zodiac member can do without a single anticipation or a given feeling of remorse, I should be second judging my former relationship with the Torn Prince. Sooner or later I will have him caged in a box, and he'll be angry and ready to kill anyone in his way. Much like all the other ghost we're captured.

The morning was filled with whispers, but I continued with my efforts to ignore them; was he playing with me? The halls were empty, room silent and not a living thing was awake, I was alone with my overly active imagination. Question after question was running in my head, but I came up with no answer. Nor did I want the answers.

By three I was falling back to sleep, although the feeling of being watched didn't give away I wasn't winning the battle of staying up. Pulling the covers over my head, I listened to the faint movements in my room. Footsteps towards the bed and something being dragged against the cheap plastic floor. With my eyes half closed, I watched from behind the semi-see through bed sheet. Nothing in front, but the chair next to the bed moved closer towards me; once it was placed in front, I could see the imprint of a body sitting in it. Instinctively I pulled the sheets closer around me, almost like a child who was hiding from the bogeyman, and closed my eyes.

I was expecting something and the sudden pressure of a hand against my bruised head was my reward. A pained whimper escaped my lips and I felt the hand remove some pressure; my stupidity took over for a brief second, leaving me with my final though of the morning, _'Would I leave a beautiful corpse?'_


	5. Chapter 3: Side B

**Author's Note:** Well, 5 chapters and only 1 review. Can I at least get 1 more please? Also before I forget, the date giving on the first chapter were changed from 2005 to 1999 so that the age and the years make sense, sorry I was thinking about it last night and the numbers weren't adding up. So the first story took place in 1999. And her age was cut down by two years for the new dates to be correct.

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Three: Side B.

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The idiot managed to get himself captured, so much for being the smartest out of us all; but they did play a trick on him. Planting that attractive girl to gain his attention, the screaming didn't help him much. Poor simple minded moron. Free less that seven years and we're being hunted down again.

Isn't that just a bitch?

Ryan was being hauled off into a disguised garbage truck, from what I could see on the screen. Distorted yelling was coming from were I had left the passed out girl, I could make out the words; "Alright," "Speak," and "Coming up."

I lit a cigarette and stood over the bodies; she passed out before I could even strike and I swear I thought I heard her mutter my name. It wasn't the usual pleading I'm oh-so fond of, not even the praying to their heavenly father; just my name. Royce. Filled with an emotion I just couldn't put my finger on.

Anger? Slightly.

Sadness? Of course.

Fear? Who wouldn't.

But there was also...hurt. The look this woman gave me was almost as if I had done something wrong; if I didn't know any better, I would have confused it with the sense of being backstabber by a close friend. However, that didn't make any sense. She was just another living human, much like the man that was in here with her. Glancing towards the lifeless corpse, there was no holding back when my bat made contact with his skull.

_'So there shouldn't be anything different with this one,'_ I thought, smirking to myself and throwing the used up cigarette. It would have been done, hell I had the bat over my head ready to be brought down hard against her head. But the others came, a man threw a flare towards me.

I left before it even had a change at getting anywhere near me.

---

It was unlike me to follow people, but I had unfinished business; she saw me, so it was only natural that she had to die. I saw when she was brought out of the examining room, she wasn't passed out anymore...more like sleeping. A group of three nurses escorted her to an isolated room. Good this would make my job easier.

---

How wrong I was, I ended up having to wait around the hospital for almost three days before I could even get anywhere close to the bitch.

She tensed as soon as I entered her room; her eyes were on me the second I appeared, I thought she could actually see me. That scared me. She started calling for people, the nurses rushed in to see what was wrong. Then she spoke;

"He's here!" she gasped, tears started forming in her eyes. "He's here, please, don't let him."

The nurses tried to convince her that nothing was going to get her while she was in the hospital; two men came in around the time one of the nurses was preparing a sedative. The man in white took the needle from the nurse and headed towards her, calmly telling her that she would be fine. She was fighting against them, screaming bloody murder, but it was no use; the doctor quickly injected the sedative and she was taking in the drug fast.

"Mr. Urban?" The doctor motioned for the other man to come closer to him, "I'm going to need you to stay here and keep an eye on her."

A silent nod came from the other man, and one by one each nurse shuffled out of the room. The doctor exited a few minutes after to make sure the girl had fallen victim to the drug. Another ten minutes and the other man stepped out for something.

I stepped forward to do my job, but from the corner of my eye, at the end of the hospital bed, I noticed a drawing of...well of myself. At least half of me; the unmarred half to be exact. Words were scratched out around the bottom, most of them eligible, but "Royce Clayton of yesteryear" and "Age 16 / Age 23" was clearly visible.

_'Twenty-three?'_ I looked her over, _'Doesn't look it.'_

The faded 16 was underneath the detailed sketch of me, while the 23 was still left undraw.

-

She didn't wake up until a few hours after sunset, but went back to sleep. The next time she woke up was my fault, I'm guessing; I could tell she was tense and uncomfortable. She was lying on her side, staring intentionally at the disgusting white wall, and I continued with my staring. Lost in my own thoughts.

She should be dead by now, I could had caved her head in with a single swing and be done with my unplanned visit to the hospital. I could have even finished this at the factory where it not for my smoke break. But either way, I still hadn't finished what I came here to finished; she movement caught my attention. She pulled the sheets over her head.

"She's scared," I whispered more to myself than anyone else; I smirked, "Damn right."

But even with the cocky pleasure of accomplishing a deep rooted sense of power, the smirk died down and I walked towards the bed. Scaring her wasn't my main achievement for the night. Pulling the chair towards the bed, I sat and stared at her; the sudden urge of wanting to touch her was overwhelming. I gave in and placed my hand over her head, only to receive a soft whimper as my response, so I pulled away slightly.

It had been too long since I felt like I was in the right place, I could hardly remember the last time. Since the day I was caged, I removed everything that I had gone through that made me feel good the years before. This woman, she brings me back to something, or someone, I just came put an image too. But no matter how comforting it may make me feel, she is part of that group...she's going to try to capture me again.

So why can't I kill her?


	6. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates, it's been a busy month.

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Four.

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"Translate everything in these few pages," she ordered, dropping the zodiac book on the glass table in front of me, "leave nothing out."

It's been a long, rough month that I been released from the hospital and placed under Jack's supervision; Mrs. Bennett and Daniel had to move on to the next ghost before I could be let out, they couldn't wait. After the release, Jack informed me that I was to be brought back to Dannii's home and would be placed to help around the "home", which was the place where all the ghost were being held at. As soon as I arrived, I was put to work, reviewing the captured ghost and forced to translate the last few pages of the large black zodiac book. From what I've managed to figure out, there were not twelve ghost, but actually thirteen in total. The Ocularis Infernum is a demonic device that allows its user to see into the future. It requires the twelve ghosts to do so, and there is a thirteenth "failsafe" ghost that could stop the process.

During my long hours of research, the reminder of the Kriticos destroyed home came back to my memory. In what free time I could manage to get, I pushed aside the book and focused on looking for more information on the Kriticos; news reports online showed that there were three deaths that happened the night of the destruction. Aside from Dennis Rafkin, the bodies of Ben Moss, a lawyer of Mr. Cyrus Kriticos, was found sliced in half in the still intact basement and Kalina Oretzia, whose relation is still unknown, found compressed between two fallen glass walls. Another finding that was reported were the findings of sliced up pieces of the deceased Cyrus Kriticos spread across was would have been the main entrance to the house.

Closing the laptop, I glanced out of the glass cased library; Dannii was mimicking everything that man had done all those years ago. She build a duplicate glass home and the ghost were being held captive in the basement just like they were before. The soft clicking against the glass floor caught my attention, I opened the book to the very back and waiting for her face to come to view. I didn't wait long. The signature blond hair and piercing cold blue eyes forced a cold shiver down my spine; Dannii Allen. Over the few weeks I've been here, I have come to realize what a mistake it was taking this job. Her constant bitching and threats are starting to get old, but there was something dark and dangerous about her that I didn't want to come in contact with. So I didn't complain, I did what I was told and I was careful about what information I did give Dannii.

The glass door slide open, she entered without skipping a beat and stood in front of the deck-like table. "Well," she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and glaring down, "what did you find out."

"There is a thirteenth ghost, which is called '_Defluo Animus',_ which loosely translates to Lost Soul, a person who is still living and willing to sacrifice their own life. This ghost is used to stop the process of the Ocularis Infernum, which I'm sure you have heard of," I waited for a reaction, but received none. "That is all I've come up with at the moment."

Dannii didn't seemed pleased, but turned her back towards me before I could accurately read her facial expressions. "Get up, we have a new ghost in the home and I want you to supervise the process of it being placed downstairs." I followed orders and stood up, fixing the pencil skirt and the white dress blouse back into position; they were clothes Dannii, more or so, forced me to change into after I had arrived to the home, low black heels and black rimmed glasses, which doubled as the spectral clear glasses, came with the package.

Following behind Dannii, I asked, "Which one is here?" But I got no answer, we rounded the corner and I looked ahead to catch a glimpse of the new "guest." The silver garbage truck was parked in front, from what I could see through the clear main entrance; three men were already in the back pulling the cube out.

We were both outside by the time I could clearly see who was todays capture and to my horror...it was Royce.

---

The familiar music played behind me as I watched Royce ghost body being forced into the new cube; he didn't seem to be as fazed by the movement like the other ghost because as soon as the spell wore off he was an inch away from freedom as the cube door slid closed. While the men focused their time and energy on removing the empty pod, I walked closer towards Royce and watched as he pounded the living hell out of the walls.

"It's no good." I mostly whispered to myself, but it seemed as though Royce heard what I had said. He moved closed towards the glass prison and glared angrily towards me; I didn't seemed fazed, it was nothing new really, at this very moment every other ghost in the basement floor that could see me were thinking of ways of taking revenge on me if, and when, they were released from their hell. A half smile spilled onto my face and whispered, "That doesn't do any good."

He smirked and brought down the bat against the glass once again; I jumped back, it's never something you'll get use to, and heard laughing coming from all over the basement. The ghost were mocking me and I could clearly hear them whispering to one another; the new trying to get a sense of why they were being locked away from the old ghosts. I glared at the still smirking James Dean wannabe and flicked him off, turning away from him before muttering 'self centered prick' as I walked out the door.

Royce, already knowing it was useless to try and find a way out of the prison, leaned back against the cool glass and slipped slowly down to the floor. He checked his cell mates starting from right to left which were; Billy, Dennis, a girl he had never seen before, and Ryan.

_'Well, well, well look what that bitch dragged in,' _Ryan hissed, running his claws against the glass frame. _'If it isn't our own James Dean. I thought you said you were stupid enough to be caught again, or am I remembering wrong?'_

_'Who is he?'_ asked the girl between Ryan and Dennis.

Billy answered, _'He's Royce.'_

The girl eyed the teen and made a disgusted look, _'I've seen better.'_

Royce glared darkly, _'Yeah, well you aren't the greatest catch either, doll.'_

She mimicked the glared and flicked the Torn Prince off, _'That girl was right, you are a prick.'_

---

"I don't care how you two morons do it, I want that ghost here by tomorrow night!" the yells were being echoed through the basement, causing each ghost to awaken from their slight slumber and watch the episode playing out at the entrance. The lights flickered on and four men spread themselves along the long hallway, a woman and another man walking down giving their surroundings a simple glance. They both stopped in front of the torn teenager, the woman giving him a long look over while she called for the man to step closer.

"Him." The man said, pointing at Royce, who in turn gave them a sinister smirk.

The woman smirked back and looked away from the glass chamber, "I think we have found our thirteenth ghost after all, and I didn't even have to break a sweat. The girl knows to much anyways, besides..." she paused slightly and returned her gaze towards Royce, "no one will miss her."

They moved away from the cube and made their way back upstairs, being followed closely by the other men. The man by her side asked, "What do we do about the other two?"

A slight pause and the woman smiled, "Kill them."


	7. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I just got a job and school is starting back up, so I'm not 100 sure how often my story will be updated but I'll try my best.

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Five.

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_'Does she think I'm stupid?' _I though grimly watching from the second floor; Dannii and Jack, along with more men that weren't important, quietly exited the basement and were making their way back to her office. It was clear that they were planning on something from the way Dannii kept her voice low, when usually she would shout to strike fear into who ever was around to listen. They all disappeared from my sight and I was felt alone to ponder. Walking back towards my room, the thought of going back downstairs and possible reminding Royce Clayton of who I was kept nagging at me.

_**It won't matter,**_ the little voice in the back of my mind answered back.

Glancing around the pure white room I spotted what I was looking for, the glasses and the small pink MP3 player I had managed to offered before taking up this job. Sitting on the plush white bed, I took out the computer Dannii had giving me, for working purposes only, and plugged the small device to charge it. The usual tabs popped up and the music started to play softly in the room.

_'What's with this woman and her obsession with white.'_ I thought pushing the rimmed glasses into my track jacket pocket and closing my room door behind me. Walking down the stairs, I could barely heard the music from my room and there were no noises of people around. The basement door was slightly opened as I entered without a noise and quietly closed the door. The artificial lights were still on, and I highly doubt they every turned off, pulling the glasses out and placing them on my face I made my way down the maze that was our basement.

I noticed the dark glares that were being shot my way, on the outside I made it seem as though I could give a rats ass. But the truth was, I was terrified by their stares. Passing by Margaret and her son, Harold, I noticed her feeding Harold lovingly; although I hate to admit it, I was jealous of the large man-child since the day we caught them both. Even in death, Harold has someone to love him and adore him with attention; I'm still alive and breathing with no one to give me the attention I had been seeking for so long. The following ghost weren't as important to me; the Torso, the Hammer and the Angry Princess.

Dorthy, the princess, screamed at me and clawed at the glass, further down the hall I could hear the dark laughing of Ryan and the fain pounding of glass. Away from the first half of the ghost, I caught a glimpse of Billy, Dennis and Lilith each in their own corner apparently resting. A bit further down and both Ryan and Royce were in sight; Ryan eying me the whole way down the hall and clawing at the glass wall, while Royce practiced his swing.

Completely ignoring Ryan, I stood in front of Royce's cube and hesitated for a minute. If he were to really remember me, what difference would it make? It would only be harder for me to let him go and allow Dannii to complete her plan. He should have let me die, no one would have missed me. It was the same thing all over again, the past 6 years have been nothing but torture to me. I looked back towards the glass chamber, only to find myself staring straight into ice blue eyes. Forcing myself not to move, I stood my ground and half expected him to try to scare me off.

_I can't do this..._

_----_

This woman is crazy, and not just because she actually does **this** kind of job for a living. This is the third time I have seen her, with that same look on her face; she standing in between Ryan and I, but it seems like she's only interested in my attention. She steps closed towards me and looked back into my eyes.

"You don't remember me...do you."

It wasn't a question, it was more of a statement, and she was right, I had no idea who she was but I had the sinking feeling that I had met her before.

She smile, disappointed, and continued, "Of course, that was a stupid question." I glanced around and by now everyones eyes were towards us; all filled with curiosity. The bat was in my hand and I slammed it against the glass wall, they all looked away giving us what little privacy was allowed. Taken another step closer, I noticed her body movement; she was nervous, her hands were clutched in fits and she seemed to be trembling slightly. "Annie." she muttered crossing her arms in front of her chest and staring intently, "my names Annie. We...met when I was younger, highly doubt you remember though; yo...I was your "entertainment", from what I can recall, for about less then a year."

There was a pause.

A deep sigh came from her, Annie, and she started moving away once again. "I'm sorry, about all of this. You are more than pissed at me for putting you back in this hellhole and I'm not making it better." She paused again, this time to laugh quietly to herself, "God, I'm not making any sense. Geez, I didn't think I'd have to see you again..."

The door opened, "Miss. Timberline, are you down here?!"

She cursed under head breath and quickly removed the glasses from her face, stuffing them into the white jacket she was wearing. "Yes!" she called back, turning her head away from me. There was a scar on her cheek, barely visible, but clearly there.

A man soon appeared, he wasn't wearing any glasses, and stopped in front of Annie; anger built up inside as I watched his eye the woman in front of him. Annie has placed a bored expression on her face and asked the man what he wanted in an agitated tone; the man glared at her, but answered respectfully, "Mrs. Dannii wants to see you immediately."

"Fine." she answered back, waiting for the man to lead the way, glancing over towards me before she left.

_Annie._

--

"Did you want to see me?" I asked, still upset and depressed from my conversation with Royce. Even if the conversation was one-sided, I had the sinking feeling that he did listen and although he gave no sign of reaction, maybe he did remember me? Pushing aside my thoughts, I concentrated on Dannii, who was sitting in front of me behind her desk.

The large zodiac book what in front of her, "It seems like you were wrong."

"W-what?" I felt a cold draft engulf the room. Something wasn't right.

"There is no thirteenth ghost, sweetie." Dannii answered back, closing the large book and making her way towards me. There was a hollow smile on her face that sent shivers down my spine, "Just trying to keep you busy while the other two idiots finished catching the last ghosts. And seeing as they have caught my last spirit, I don't need any of you anymore, but..." I glanced behind Dannii and noticed Jack enter the room, a needle in his hand, "...I like you Annie. You've got something _**special **_about you, plus I think Jack has a little crush on you."

I stepped away from Dannii, she had to be out of her mind!_ 'Damn, I knew they were planning something,'_ I thought glaring at the psychotic woman in front of me, blocking my only way to safety. She cornered me and Jack made his way towards us; I pushed Dannii away from me and made a break towards the door. But I didn't make it far, Jack grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing a cry of pain from my lips as he pulled me back towards him. His free arm wrapped around my chest, forcing me to stay put against his chest. "Let go of me!" I yelled trying to kick him and crawling as his arm.

An angry yell caught my attention and I watched Dannii stand back up, her eyes were burning with rage and glaring darkly towards me, making me struggle more against Jack. She made her was in front of me and slapped me across the face, I could feel my old wound open back up and blood dribbled down slowly. "Bitch." she spat, taking the needle from Jack's hand and grabbing me wrist.

The shock of the slap quickly washed away and I felt something pinch my skin, Jack's grip on me tightened and I continued to struggle. The sting was replaced by the feeling of liquid being pushed into my body, I looked back at Danni and tried to kick her, but she moved away before I had a change at reaching her, in the process of her moving, the needle was removed from my arm and Jack's grip loosened lightly. I struggled, but I knew it was of no use; they had giving me sedative just like I had giving all of the former baits that had gone ghost hunting with us. It was only a matter of seconds now.

Dannii dropped the needle on her desk, "Lock her up."

Jack answered back, but I didn't understand, the drug was taking it's effect; I felt my body being lifted and the swaying from his movement. A door opened and he took downward steps, they were yelling at us, another brief stop and a new door was opened. He dropped me on a stiff bed and I tried to move away but he grabbed hold of my wrists and held me still. I could faintly make out his face, but it was getting closer towards mine, "Good night, princess." His lips forced themselves upon mine and I lazily pulled away, the found of a loud slam against a solid object was the last thing I heard before passing out into darkness.


	8. Chapter 6

Author's Note: So sorry, I truly am, but I'll give my excuses at the end of the story. & Thank You very much **Mad Red Queen**, I will take everything you said into consideration. (I actually printed out what you commented and stuck it to my wall.)

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Six.

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I feel like I've just slammed by head against the nearest wall! God, what the hell happened? The world was spinning and the quiet whispers wouldn't stop, my hands instinctively come up to my head as a small whimper escapes my lips.

"_She's awake."_ I hear a faint voice announce.

Weakly turning to my side, I cry out in pain as a sudden rush of prickling washes over my body, "Shouldn't have done that."

I struggle to get into a sitting position, my arm burned and I could clearly see it was bruised. The sight of a hideous purple/black oval shaped mark streaking from my wrist to my elbow is evident. I suddenly remember where I was...what had happened and I begin to wonder just how long I've been out of it.

The basement is dimly lit and soft scratching noises echo throughout the, seemingly, empty room. With my uninjured hand I search for what may have been felt behind in my jacket pockets, and to my utter luck I find what I am looking for. Pulling the glasses out, I quickly push them onto my face, accidentally causing a sharp pain to run its course down my frail frame. "Ow," I whine to myself and give a glance around the basement.

They are _**all**_ looking at me.

I suddenly felt so...awkward.

So completely helpless and worthless.

I feel my chest tightening, breathing suddenly seems so difficult and not worth the time to spend on.

I look away and begin to loose myself in my thoughts.

I'm pretty sure they saw me being placed in this cell. I'm also sure they were, excuse the pun, dying of laughter to see it happen. I mean, who could blame them really. One of the people that helped put them back into entrapment in the same position. _Hilarious_, really.

I push way the horrid thoughts, they do me no good anyways, and slowly stand. Every inch brings a new shock of pain throughout various locations in my body. Leaning against the glass window, I take my time to examine my position.

My cell is set aside, by itself and a good two feet away from the rest of the occupants. From my pods position, I can see down the ill-lit hallway and the ghosts can catch a glimpse of me if they angled just right. The glass doesn't hold the same Latin writing that decorated the rest of the windows, but I am damn sure it's made of something unbreakable.

But there's no harm in trying...

I look around for something to throw, but nothing really stands out. The only things that is in my cell is the blood-stained mattress and an old dirty blanket.

Frustrating slowly rears it's ugly head and I can feel tears building up.

Turning back towards the spirits, and unwillingly catch the sight of the nearest of them twelve; Royce Clayton. I should try to look away, but why aren't my eyes listening to me? Those stupid tears are falling down my face and I still can't seem to turn away. My hands ball into first, I realize something as his lifeless blue orbs stare right back.

"**I'm going to die." **

By stating it out loud...does it help me overcome the delusion that I'll be saved from this hell hole?

It does.

My legs are giving up on me; I feel like I'm sinking into a never ending nightmare.

I sob quietly into my hand and the sound of sadistic giggles and laughter causes my heart to tighten even more.

- - -

It was hours before the room returned to its usual silence.

Although I had stopped crying almost two hours ago, they continued to talk amongst themselves. Their conversation involved me. Of course. What else would it be?

Damn, the right side of my body is asleep from leaning against the glass to long. I move around, trying as hard as possible to not mess with my sleeping body parts. The tingle that comes after the blood flow returns to them always bothers me. But the other reason why I'm trying to move discreetly is because _he_ wasn't taken his eyes off of me since I first started crying.

It's creepy.

**Seriously.**

I glance over at him and quickly regret that decision. His face holds a frown, like the kind that you get when you're thinking deeply, and his eyes look like they are glazed over. It seems like he snaps out of concentration when my head turned to look at him. He pushes his body upwards, do to the fact that he was leaning against the glass, and slowly makes his way towards the opposite end of his cell.

Towards me.

He doesn't do much, though the staring continues. I look away and pull the jacket closer around my body. Why does it suddenly feel colder in here? I breath out and can see the air I've blown out form into a white cloud in front of me.

_Click._

What was that?

_Clank._

Someone's coming downstairs...

The door squeals and quiet murmurs fill the basement.

My hearts racing, salvation! No, I can't fool myself into believing that. I just spend a good two hours bawling my eyes out. They growl. Ghost growl? What!? But they did growl, in anger.

Dannii and Jack come into the view.

My hopes drop, a sudden lump forms in my throat as I slowly rise from the floor. I then realize that Royce is no longer looking at me. No. Now he's glaring dagger towards the two in front of my window.

She's wearing a smug smile on her lips, while he's **clearly** checking me out. What the...

"Good to see you've decided to awake in time for preparation." Dannii spits out, crossing her arms and pulling the heavy coat closer towards her body. "A bit chilly isn't it."

Oh how I wish looks could kill, because if the could this witch would be six feet under! A cold wind slaps my shivering body, crap it's freaking cold. My lip won't stop shaking, my hands are beginning to feel numb, but I keep my mouth shut.

The click of her cheap knock-off heels against the pavement is the only noise heard into the room. She strolled a few steps back and give Jack a signal I don't seem to quite understand. It doesn't take long before I realize what she meant.

"Take her out," she says, "I'll leave her in your control for the moment. Make her pretty for tonight's final meal."

With that she leaves, and panic starts to set in as Jack makes his way towards the entrance of the cell. Pulling away from the door, I unfortunately manage to trap myself at a corner.

**STUPID!**

The heavy iron door opens slowly, the thought of running as soon as Jack made a grab at me pops into my head. However, his a lot bigger and stronger than me. There is no way in _hell _I was going to make it pass the human wall without breaking something in the process.

He walks calmly towards me, there is a look in his eye that I am really not liking. I continue, however, to huddle against the corner and give him my most convincing glare I can muster.

He smirks and reaches out his hand, "I promise I won't hurt you."

Really...am I suppose to believe that? "Yeah right."

He glares and roughly grabs hold of my bruised arm. I hiss in pain and try to pull way, in the process only bring more pain on myself.

Grabbing both arms now, he laughed, "Go ahead, struggle, it's more fun that way."

Fear spreads throughout my body and I struggle even harder. It doesn't seem to faze him one bit as he throws me over his shoulder and proceeds to grope my behind. I yell in anger and pound on his back.

"LET ME GO!"

Again, he laughs, "Haha, I'm going to have a lot of fun with you."

Oh no. No. I tense and, in a panic state, look at the first person that comes to mind.

My eyes lock with his.

Brown meets blue.

His eyes are filled with rage.

But there isn't much he can do to help.

My voice becomes but a mere whisper in the wind..."Royce."


	9. Chapter 7

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**Legame Eterno**

Chapter Seven.

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I seriously feel like throwing up.

Being hung upside down from his shoulders is making all the blood rush to my head, plus the huge lump in my stomach isn't helping my situation. God, they're _laughing_ at me again. Why can't I just die of humiliation and get this over with?

A simple glance to my right and I see the Jackal scratching at the glass in an intimidating manner. A swift move towards my left and I catch the sight of mother and child in the middle of, yet another, feeding moment. They glare at me, and the child blocks the mother from my view with his large frame.

We ascend upwards out of the basement, I grasp a firm grip on his jacket. "I...I don't...feel good."

He stops and places me back on my feet, even then I still feel sick. What's going on with me? I keep a grip on his arm, if I don't I'm positive I'll fall back head first. His hand is on my chin, tilting it towards his face. "Looks like the poison is working a little faster then expected.

P-poison?

Did he just...no my brains not working right.

I gawk at him, "W-what?"

He doesn't answer me back, instead I'm being pushed into the nearest bathroom and forced to kneel by the toilet. I then felt it. The rush of a burning sensation itching at the back of my throat. I gag, but refrain from allowing it to come out.

"No use in holding it back, beautiful," Jack says, as he's leaning against the sink. "It's going to come out."

Oh God. He's right.

I dip my head into the toilet and vomit.

There's more blood then there is regurgitated food.

My trembling hand comes up to wipe away the saliva; he holds out some toilet paper for me to wipe with. I don't complain and take the offer.

"Wh-what did you do to m-me?" My voice trembles throughout the entire sentence.

Jack kneels down to my level and pushes away a strand of hair from my face. "Well, seeing as there's really no harm in telling you, it was in the injection we gave you yesterday. Mixed with the sedative. Pretty clever actually."

He stood back, bringing me along, and continues to talk as he takes me up the stairs, to the second floor, and into the room that use to be mine. "The poison is slow acting, take up to twelve hours before the effects begin to destroy the body." I'm pushed onto the bed. "After, the next twelve hours are spent with cold sweats, fatigue, vomiting, and hysteria."

I can only stare in shock as he pulls out a dress, pair of shoes and accessories.

"Put these on," he instructs, "I'm giving you one hour to get yourself ready. If you're not ready by then...I'll be forced to help you finish."

I shudder as he leaves.

Looking at the dresses laid before me, I take the time to actually take in the beautiful garment. A cute red satin strapless cocktail dress with boned bodice. Fitted drop waist, bubble skirt, with a black ribbon tie around the waist. Holding it against my body, I wrinkle my nose in annoyance. The hem reaches mid-thigh.

Oh well.

I'll look pretty if I should die at the table.

The shoes are cute too, matching red Mary Jane style heels. Thank goodness they aren't extravagantly high... I've never been that good a walker in heels. Only two accessories were laid with the dress. A large, but obviously fake, cocktail ring and a simple necklace with a small diamond heart.

Again.

At least I'll look good.

By the time Jack came back into the room I managed to put on the dress, necklace, ring and one of the heels. Its painfully obvious that his eyes are raking over me and it is making me extremely uncomfortable.

Or is it the venom's effect?

Clicking of heels signify there is a woman in the room now. "If you need to throw up do it in the bathroom. I don't need a mess on my floor."

_**Ugh. **_It's Dannii. Not having much of a choice, I look over at her and notice she is wearing cocktail dress as well. In a different style though, but I'm currently not interested in criticizing her outfit. A wave of nausea threatens to diminish what little will power I have to hold it back.

She smirks and walks towards me; I look away and focus on myself. "Go ahead," she beings, "it'll feel just a tab bit better once its out. Granted the sight of the blood will make you feel worse-" if she doesn't stop talking... "-but at least the pressure will be gone. There is no antidote to the poison. You, along with those two, will be dead and gone by the end of tonight."

_Dead and gone_. I'm regretting ever taking this job. But, honestly, what did I expect? There had to a big catch at the end of the deal. No way she would just let us walk away with all the knowledge and secrets we've had to carry around.

My throat is tightening again, my stomach is aching so bad. I have to throw up. My hand is already at my mouth and I pull away from the bed into the bathroom.

This is going to be a **long** and gruesome night.

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**Authors Note:** I am seriously so sorry that I just vanished out of the blue. But unfortunately that is how I am, and I am not very proud of that little fact. Anyways, it's been awhile since I've written anything for entertainment purposes so please feel free to criticize and rip me a new one.

By the way, just in case you didn't notice, the rest of the chapters will be written in first person (present tense) just because.


	10. Chapter 8

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Legame Eterno

Chapter Eight.

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Heavy breathing echoes in the basement, it's my heavy breathing. They're both dead, sh...she killed them without a single sign of remorse. I tried to hide both of them away, but it all happened so quickly.

I couldn't help them! I was so useless.

Oh god...I-I can't break down right now. They are looking for me; Dannii, her men, and...the Juggernaut.

**Yes**. _The Juggernaut_...

I run past the trapped souls. I can hear them screaming and cursing at me. Ducking towards the right corridor, I can see the blurred images of Dennis, the Torso, the Hammer and the Pilgrimess. The main room to the basement is where the doors are being controlled. If I find that room, I'll be able to set them free.

Heavy boots slamming against the floor force me to hide behind a large crate. I try to calm my breathing and unfortunately the memories of the past hour rush back.

_---_

"_The Juggernaut is __**free**__."_

That was what Daniel told me as I tried to stop the bleeding from his wound.

The prison he was encased in was a fake. Daniel must have gotten a negative feeling the last time he and Mrs. Bennett came back up to the house. He told me, before he...died, that there was a mistake in the Latin spell etched into the glass.

A single letter made the difference between trapping the giant or cause massive destruction throughout the home.

One of the letters was not actually engraved into to glass, it was marked in with a special marker. A simple wipe with the hand could destroy the carefully placed spell and crumple it to mere nonsense.

I just needed a reason to get close to his containment box.

Dannii's pride was the only thing that allowed me to get close enough to the Juggernaut's cell. She wanted to gloat on how her collection of freaks was complete. While she blabbed about herself, I was busy looking for the mistake. It then dawned on me that all the time I spending translating Latin for Dannii while I was bedridden was finally paying off

It hadn't taken me long to find the error.

A lowercase 'L' was written in a slightly different shade and it didn't look as sunken in as the rest of the letters.

It only took an unnoticed tap to gain the large mans' attention. Of course he gave me a hateful look, but as soon as I had flattened my hand against his glass those dead eyes shifted to surprise. I dragged my hand down and in no less than two second wiped away the letter.

I had quickly stepped away from the glass and stared at the words that no longer held the powerful spell of confinement. Instead, it just read out a bunch of jumbled words.

He continued to look surprised, a mixture of confusion and hesitation spread across his face. Not wanting this change to go to waste, I swallowed the lump in my throat, threw caution and my raising fear to the wind and took in a deep breath.

_Here goes._

"You're free!" I yelled at him, my eyes closed in pure fright and my body fell rigid.

I knew, I could tell from the sudden '_woosh_' sound of bodies moving quickly, that Dannii, Jack, and the three men that came down with us all turned to see what I was talking about.

No shockingly, my eyes slowly opened and I was still scared to what was to happen next.

Horace "Breaker" Mahoney stood before all of us, still in his glass chamber, smiling from ear to ear. His disgusting rotten teeth were in full view for everyone to criticize, and, if it were even possibly, I could have sworn his pale blue skin flushed with excitement.

I took a larger step away.

The massive man moved towards the front of the glass. The others slowly began to move away, fearing for their safety. An angry Dannii turned towards me, grasped my arm painfully and pulled my shocked face towards her terrified one.

"**WHAT** did you do!" she hissed.

I didn't have a change to respond, my mouth hung open as I saw the blurred image of Horace launch himself towards the four men. Both Dannii and I pulled away from the men and watched in horror at the scene unfolding before us.

The three unnamed men tried to run from Horace, but it was obvious that they weren't going to get far. One was grabbed from the back of his neck and thrown towards us. Screaming, we both jumped in opposite directions to avoid the body. I dropped a foot away and kept my eye level towards the floor, but I could distinctively hear the crushing of bones.

Forcing myself to look over my shoulder, I pushed away some fallen hair from my face and saw Horace gripping a second man. His screams filled the air as his arm was pulled away from his body. I looked away as I noticed Horace was aiming to do the same damage to the mans legs. The laughter coming from farther down the basement added to the terrifying nightmare. I rose with shaky hands, but was quickly brought down by a new weight on my back.

"Damn it!"

Again I went to stand, whatever was on top of me easily slid down my back from my movements. Quickly brushing down my dress and looked at the thing that had landed on me. I let out a scream. It was a dismembered limb. I leveled myself with the help of a nearby glass cell and looked over again at the carnage.

Dannii was missing. Jack and the remaining nameless man were both pinned against a cell, both had bloodshot eyes and were struggling to be released.

"H-he-lp." the man struggled to say staring directly at me.

I couldn't do anything. What did he _expect_ me to do? I pulled myself closer to the glass and moved as quietly as possible away from the scene. His eyes open wider and his free hand reached out towards me. _Oh god_. I couldn't take it. I closed my eyes and turned my full body towards the glass. My forehead pressed hard against the cell and I brought my hands up to the sides of my face to hide away the fact that I was having a mental breakdown.

The giggle of the sadistic rapist wasn't helping, the loud pounding of the ghosts that were farther way against their walls was driving me insane and their screams...they only brought more tears. Soon there was only grunting coming from the murderous event.

I opened my eyes and continued to stare forward, my hands dropped in a painfully slow pace and I bit back fresh tears that were threatening to fall. I had to get out of there, if I continued to stay put like a dumb puppy I was the next person Horace was going to let his rage out on.

I must have been to engulfed with my sorrows that I didn't even notice which cell I was curling up to for comfort. What were the odds, seriously, that I picked the Prince's cube to ball out my eyes at. It took me until that moment to realize he had been standing by my side since I had gotten back to my feet.

His bat was firmly grasped in his right hand, his left was on the glass where my shoulder had been leaning against. If it weren't for the glass, I might had mistaken the stance for one of trying to comfort someone. But that was impossible. The Torn Prince was not one to show emotions...

The tapping of his bat against the glass caught my attention, instinctively I looked at his face and took a moment to _**really**_ get a look at him. The injury on his face was large and an angry red. His right ear was partially missing, the lack of skin made his brain visible a bit, but those blue-eyes held an emotion that sent chills down my spine.

I noticed he was wording something.

It took me a moment to figure out what he was saying, but as soon as I recognized the letters I pushed away from the cube and ran down the hall. Horace was finished with Jack and the men. Now it was time to play with the rest of the house.

---

I peak from behind the crate and sigh quietly in relief. They're no one, living or dead, standing in the way to continue the search. Cautiously standing, I slink down the hall and make sure to say as close to the shadows as possible. The last thing need is to be found by one of those goons, or worse...be caught by the Breaker.

_No, can't have that happening._

There aren't many 'rooms' in the basement, so why is it so hard to find that freaking main room! This is too frustrating, but I have to do it. I'm not going to die and just let that bitch get away with this. She'll get what she deserves, both here and in hell.

Farther down the hall, possibly closer towards the entrance to the basement, I hear the spells hypnotizing chant. **That** made me smile for about a minute. The recording has also been tampered with, Daniel had replaced the original tape with a double he made. He had thought of everything. It's making me think that maybe he knew that there wasn't a possibly way to escape this. But, if he did, why didn't he try to stop this?

Yells cut of my thoughts.

I shake my head and stumble into the main room.

'Finally!' I look around the room and notice all the technology and machinery decorating the small space. Running shy finger across levers and carefully reading the Latin symbols, I try to figure out how to open the doors.

"Find her!"

My head shoots towards the entrance, that voice sounded to close for comfort. Looking back before me, I search for a lever that signified door...but nothing is jumping out at me. **Damn**! I need to clear up my head, what was Latin for door? P-something ia-something?

"You_ idiots_! She's in the control room!"

That was closer that the last comment, crap.

I can hear their fast approaching footsteps, their heavy breathing echoes along side the footsteps loud crunching. Concentrate, it's such a simple word. How the hell am I going to forget an easy word at a time like this! Think, think, think. No pressure. Just...

"GRAB HER!"

_**Propinquus Ianua!**_

I stare down and push the button with those exact words without a second thought. Unconsciously, my eyes closed at the loud slam of door closing and the sound of a gasping man fills the small control room. Turning towards the gasp, I hold back the shriek caught in my throat. The door was closed, but between the two slabs of glass is a man. Eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream...he's slided in half. From the tip of his head to the bottoms of both feet.

From behind the sliced man, I could see Dannie, her face filled with shock, and two new men I had never seen before.

For some odd reason, my brain besides this would be the perfect time to let all my Latin studies return to normal and I remember I had mistranslated what I wanted. Instead of opening all the doors, I successfully closed, and possibly locked down, all the doors in the house.

I've just doomed every persons change of escaping from this house alive. And from my view, I could see that the same thought had just crossed past Dannii's mind.

"Y-you moron! What have you done? You've killed us all!"

I couldn't help the smile, the sadistic giggle that followed even frightened _me_, "...I'm already dead."

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This one's just a tad bit longer than the last chapter, hopefully I can have the next chapter by Monday or Tuesday. I'm not making any promises though. Thank you for the reviews. I likes.

By the way, in case you were wondering: Propinquus Ianua means (or loosely means) Close Door.


	11. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I **DO NOT** Thir13en Ghosts, Dark Castle Entertainment does. This story is just for entertainment purposes, imagination is a wonderful thing! Don't let it go to waste kiddos.

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Legame Eterno

Chapter Nine.

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_Come little children  
I'll take thee away, into the land of enchantment.  
Come little children  
The time has come to play, here in my garden of magic..._

I pull back my hand from my face and wonder why the lyrics of the old lullaby my mother would sing suddenly pops into my head. Maybe this is what happens when you are at deaths door? They do say that your life begins to flash before your eyes and forgotten memories make their presence.

I push back the thought as a quiet sigh escapes and I find myself staring up at the ceiling once again.

It's finally stopped, the pain consuming my body I mean. The horrible taste of vomit no doesn't coats the inside of my mouth like it did a few hours ago. Thankfully the room decides now is the perfect time to finish the merry-go-round, just went I was getting use to the ride too...

It hurt too much to continue standing hours ago, not long after the man was split in two actually. Unconsciously I deciding to lay against the cold floor and I must have drifted into a deep sleep. That should have been no surprise! I have always been a deep sleeper.

But this little situation is different, I can't hear anymore screaming, no more crying or pleading, not one peep of them scurrying around. Sure I can hear _those things_ whispering to one another, who wouldn't? They can be so loud, almost like those annoying neighbors in apartment building, where even through the thickest wall they can be heard bouncing around, yells echo through the empty halls and lifeless giggle engulf rooms.

I don't hear the _living_ , not anymore at least, just them.

Footsteps at the entrance of the room catches my attention, my head rolls to the side and I stare intently at the glass. My eyes grow as wide as they can possible can and my mind begins to race. The doors is no longer lodged in place, no those silly doors are long gone. In its place however, is the shattered remains, hundreds upon hundreds of little pieces decorate the cement floor. I groan and I struggle to roll to my side to sit up, in the process a sharp pain rolls across my body from the sudden movement.

"I thought that glass was unbreakable." I whisper in a sarcastic tone and holding my head throbbing head.

It grows cold, but in my state I clearly don't pay much attention to the climate change. A voice startles me, '_They were, to a certain extent I guess.'_

I tense at the sound of the male voice and slowly lift my head towards the direction of the unexpected visitor. I half expect Horace to be standing there, maybe even with a smug look on his face, or even leering over me as he's about to strike.

Hell maybe doing both things at the same time.

Just those haunting thoughts force me to halt for a split second before continuing my little moment of discovery. I mentally shake my head, how can I seriously be trying to lift the mood right this moment. A quiet, so quiet not even someone next to me could hear, I laugh and stare at the mans pants.

Their a dark rust brown color, good sign for me its not who I guessed.. That little fact brings a brief huge wave of relief as my eyes continue their journey towards the mans face.

The blood stains on the cheap suit cause my face to scrunch up in disgust, I hear him scoff...probably from my facial expression. I finally reach his face, but take a brief second to acknowledge the blood that disturbs the side of his face, and finally I lock eyes with oddly pale green eyes.

'...really pretty eyes...' I think subconsciously.

He reaches up, making it obvious to anyone of how nervous he is as he fumbles to remove the out dated spectral glasses from his face. Proceeding to wipe them off on his shirt, he turns slightly away from my uncomfortable gaze. I sigh, a bit to loudly because I hear him mumble something not very nice underneath his breath, and push back my own glasses closer to my face.

"H-how the hell did you get out?" I begin, hiding both the fact that I am struggling to get on my feet and that I just had the most unappealing thoughts run circle around my head. "The doors should be bolted shut **AND** that door," I point to where he's standing, "should not be in pieces!"

Now, I know I probably shouldn't be yelling at a ghost, they can be _just_ hatefully things, but Dennis Rafkin is honestly no potential threat to my well being. He can't, and wouldn't out of his own free will, touch me. If he did, he'd falling into one of those uncontrollable fits of his.

Even in death he's still plagued with the curse of touch. I had been a witness to one of these accidents back when we began bringing the ghost into the house. Even the glass separating each ghost from the other couldn't save Dennis. When his cube was brought into the empty cage next to the Great Child, he fell to the floor in agony. I hate to admit this, but I kinda of felt sorry for the guy, so I had him placed with more distance between him and the rest of the ghosts.

_'You know,' _sarcasm drips from his voice as he puts the glasses back on his face and glares, _'explosions have a funny way of destroying everything in its way.'_

"An explosion?" I stare back. An _explosion_, no I could not have slept through a freaking explosion. I laugh, he questions my action by tilting his head to the side surprised. "No. **No**, I would have heard it."

Dennis doesn't say anymore, instead he begins to walk out of the room and into the hallway. I ball my hands into fists and start bitting the inside of my bottom lip, a habit I seriously need to lean to quit. 'There is no way that...but...'

_'Hey you,'_ Dennis yells back into the room, _'I don't have all day.'_

I scoff, 'Yeah right, more like you've got all the time in the world.'

I don't have a second thought about follow behind the cheap suit wearing man, carefully to avoid stepping into the pool of blood on the floor, what do I really have to lose? Again pushing the glasses onto my face, I glance over at Dennis. He's shaking his head, his back is slightly hunched over, and he suddenly yells furiously at the air.

'Weirdo,' I scratch my arm absent intendedly and swallow the lump in my throat. Looking around the hall, it seems like Dennis' fable about an explosion may be true after all.

There's glass coating the long stretch of hall, one long blood trail leading into a darken room farther down the hall. I feel my throat beginning to tighten as we both make out way closer to the room. The worse thoughts being to conjure up in my vivid imagination. I try to pry my eyes away from the blood and the rooms entrance, subconsciously coaching myself to be brave. 'Just don't look, close your eyes and just keep walking.'

Yeah! Brilliant idea. Well, it would have been.

Dennis suddenly stops, something I don't notice do to the fact that my eyes are closed tightly. I also don't see him turning around to face me, his mouth opens to say something but our bodies collide. My eyes open quickly as I fall back, away from Dennis who falls forward, and I watch as his body starts to convulse from the contact.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" I can't think of anything else to say as I crawl to his side, avoiding contact, and hover over him. It takes but a minute for his convulsions to stop, his breathing remains heavy and sweat coats his forehead. Even in his exhausted state he manages to throw me a venom filled glare.

Dennis rolls away from me, '_What the hell's wrong with you!'_

"I'm sorry!" I repeat staring at his back.

_'...don't touch me again.'_ He mutters standing up and dusting himself off.

I nod numbly, "...hey...why did you tell me to follow you?"

I notice his back tense and continues to face away from me, '_I didn't tell you to follow me._'

"Yes you did. You said you to hurry up because you didn't have all day! That sorta means follow me." I cross my arms.

He finally turns around and frowns at me, _'Well, then...you...just be quite. You're distracting me. And don't touch me!'_

Oh my, some comeback, Mr. Rafkin. Glaring daggers into the older mans back, I bit the inside of my cheek and look back down the hall. Ignoring the blood and broken glass, I notice just how quiet it is down here.

"Why is it quiet?" I whisper to Dennis, he gives me a shrug as an answer. I roll my eyes, "Really? You don't know. Well, call me stupid but I would guess **YOU** of all people would know what's going on down here. I'm pretty sure _YOU_ have been wandering around long enough to know where the rest of the _family_ is. Or am I just-?" I can't even finish my sentence as I throw my arms up in defeat and complete annoyance.

Dennis begins to pace back and forth, one hand is messing his hair up and the other is balled up into a tightly clenched fist. He turns and stands in front of me; I take small steps away from him out of fear of what he may do. Harmful or not, he is still an unpredictable ghost.

_'Listen! I don't need this!' _He yells at me, while his index finger points directly at me. _'I REALLY DON'T NEED THIS!'_

"THEN WHY ARE YOU!?" I scream back. He steps back and I blink back in utter shock myself. Maybe it was the poison that was making me weak with emotion, but I can't hold back the rush of words. "Why? WHY aren't you at least _trying_ to make me suffer! Why aren't you, like... I don't know! Offering me over to the others or something?! I'm pretty sure they'd be ripping me apart. I mean, didn't you see what Horace did to the morons in the hall a few hours ago." I laugh softly in terror and pause to catch my breath.

Dennis stares uncomfortable and struggles to think of what to say. _'...are you done?'_

I glare at the floor, but nod to him, "Yeah...I think so."

There is an awkward silence between us, but damn that felt so good. I notice him move away from me, the sound of something hitting glass catches my attention back down the hall. The basement was built like a maze, so I wouldn't be surprised of there was another way leading to the control room...or at least the same hall.

I keep staring into nothingness, mostly afraid of whatever might be making its way towards us. Throwing a glance at Dennis only for a second, it's painfully obvious that he doesn't know where he's going. It's also obvious that he didn't hear the noise coming from down the hall. It echoes again, a bit louder but still not enough to bring Dennis' attention to the sound.

My body tingles, sorta like when you know something is about to happen whether it be good or bad. Its a primal instinct telling you to be on your guard just in case anything decides to pop out and give a big **'boo'**. But I keep looking, I keep standing against the crumbling pillar behind me, and my eyes keep straining to see something that I just can't see.

There it goes again, _much_ louder and closer, and the soft sound of something swinging back and forth follows. Dennis whips around this time, _'What was that?'_

I don't answer, but the cause of the noise becomes completely clear to both of us. Standing a good fourteen feet away is the Great Child, an extremely unhappy look is firmly placed on his chubby face. I begin to move, but Dennis holds his hand out signaling to stop. The ax swings to and fro in a slow, terrifying manner, what little light that bounced off the blood stained object gave it an even more horrifying aura. Harold's large hand grips the weapon tighter as his face contorts into a dark frown. From behind his large leg appears his mother, Margaret; she wears a blank face as she over looks both of us.

I expect for Harold to blow up any second, but Margaret seems to have a good grip of her little boy. She whispers to Harold, I flinch back in both terror and surprise, _'Let's go honey, mama's gonna give you somethin' to eat.'_

Margaret slowly disappears, Harold lingers a few moments longer but eventually follows his mother back down the hall. Dennis is the first to move, his hand moves to his heart as he hunches over from the traumatic event. I fall back against the wall and exhale the breath I had unknowingly been holding, my hands begin to tremble.

"I...We need to get out of here," I mutter, "as soon as possible."

Dennis nods, _'I completely agree.'_

I wait for him to regain his composure, following behind his careful footing I wonder why I didn't notice one thing. I can understand what Dennis is saying. Before all I would hear were their whispers, unintelligible taunts, groans, moans, and screaming. Then again, though, I could understand Royce years ago when we first met clear as day.

'Royce...' I fight back the sadness that washes over me.

I'd hate to admit, but I had forgotten about him until now. If he hadn't told me to run...I would be dead right now, and not because of the poison. He must be free too right now. My eyes dart down the small corridors Dennis and I pass by, a bit to hopeful of bumping into him. Dennis stops, I mimic his actions, and pokes his head out to see if its clear to continue forward. I wonder if he even knowns how to get the hell out of here? I don't remember this from when I went looking for the main room, but then again...the basement wasn't half destroyed then.

Dennis mumbles to himself, low enough so its only him to hear, but I catch what he says, _'Just take her up and I'll be done.'_

Take her up? What does that mean? Me, take me up and then he'll be done? I bite my cheek to keep me from speaking and follow suit.

What happens next...I don't even expect. The painful pull of my loose hair forces a scream out of my mouth, instinctively I grab on to the owners hand and regret that choice. I loose my footing, the person behind me giggles and begins to drag me back they way Dennis and I came. I scream again and kick my heels against the pavement, emitting loud clicking sounds throughout the basement.

'DENNIS!" I scream, one hand still tangled in my hair while the other is searching for something to grab onto. Not to my surprise, I can see Dennis begin to run towards me but suddenly stops just as quickly as he started. My mouth falls open and I scream again in pain, frustration and disbelief. "You've _gotta _be kidding me."

A male laugh causes me to struggle even harder, he stops and I have a chance to try to pull myself away. It's all in vain however, he does release my hair, but painfully wraps his arms around my waist. Hoisting me up to my feet and digging his abnormal nails into my side, I feel his body pushed hard against mine. The smell to rot instantly fills my nose as his face is pushed into my, now matted, hair and inhaled deeply. I struggle against him and yell out for Dennis again; he gives a warning growl and pushes me away from him, straight into the nearby pillar. My head bounces against the pillar and a groan escapes my lips as one hand goes up to my throbbing injury.

_'The only name you'll be screaming out is __**mine**__,'_ he hisses into my ear as he pulls me back to him. His free hand rest on my stomach and slowly slices four slits into the dress. Slightly disoriented, I stiffen in fear as I feel his hand traveling farther down the skimpy dress. _'I suggest you learn it quick, whore. Say it.'_

'I should have never trusted that idiot!' I think grimly.

His hand pauses at my lower tummy and digs into the sensitive flesh, a small scream echoes,_ '__**SAY **__it.'_

I twist and contort my body to escape, shaking my head at his command. Both of his hands are now covering the dress with cuts, the blood stains are invisible do to the red shade of the dress. I groan in frustration and feel the cage against the back of my head and an unexpected idea develops. Lowering my head, I quickly bring it back with as much force as I can possible muster and bang hard against the cage. It catches him off guard, his hands flinch away from me for a second and I take my chances.

I bolt out of his grasp, pushing against the pillar and trying my best to keep myself from falling face first. I half expect him to catch up with me in no time flat, but I continue to run. His angry yell can be heard behind me and I struggle to keep a sob from escaping my lips.

He's behind me, I can feel his looming presence. I trip and brace myself for my untimely demise, but instead of his hands scratching at me angry I hear the swing of an object as sparks fly above my head. I scream and instinctively my hands come up to protect my head. Hands grab my roughly, bringing me to my feet, and a push forces me to stagger forward. I try to look back, for an explanation, but I let out another short scream as I see Ryan jump towards me and another swing of sparks appear.

Not wanting to take anymore chances, I pull away from the scene and race down the hall and meet up with Dennis. His pacing stops and he stares in disbelief; I glare at the clairvoyant, but survival over takes my anger.

"**Run** you j_erk_!" I yell at him, all while not slowing down my pace.

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Whoa! I think this might be the longest chapter I've done for _any_ of my little tidbits and I'm actually damn proud of it. Ha. Sure as heck took me awhile to get this one out though, most of it being you know.. the holidays and what not. Plus I actually took the time to revise this chapter. **LOTS** of this got rewritten and taken out.


	12. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I **DO NOT OWN** Thir13en Ghosts, Dark Castle Entertainment does. This story is just for entertainment purposes, imagination is a wonderful thing! Don't let it go to waste kiddos.

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Legame Eterno

Chapter Ten.

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I'm an attraction for hell on earth. Seriously, not ten minutes into running away from a potential rape scene, I'm smack dab in the middle of a soon-to-be murder scene. Dennis yelled at me to run, or was it hide...maybe just move? Oh hell, it doesn't matter what he told me.

I duck underneath a fallen pillar and continue the sprint. My legs are killing me, these stupid heels are giving away my location easily, but I can't risk taken them off and being disabled by the glass coated halls. I look behind, pushing the clump of hair away from my face, and clearly see a calm large black man staring down the hallway at me. The sight of his large hand removing an extremely large nail embedded into his body forces my heard to snap forward. Raspy, heavy panting echoes throughout the basement, I'm mentally cursing myself for following Dennis even after he'd Ryan drag me away.

"Stupid!" I hiss. Turning one last corner I rush into the first room available, slide down the rugged wall and quickly cover my mouth with both hands. I try as hard as possible to control my breathing, but it's no use. Pulling my legs up to my chest, I drop my head against my knees and watch from the cover of my eye for movement towards the rooms only entrance.

I'm on my own now. Dennis was noble enough to _try_ to defend me when we accidentally bumped into the Hammer, George Markley, and stayed behind to distract him long enough for me to put some distance between the two of us. The room grows colder and I instantly begin to hyperventilate, my head turns completely towards the door and my eyes slowly, painfully, grow wide in fear. My rapid breathing is visible in the freezing room and a lump begins to form in my throat, making it almost impossible to refrain from a noise escaping.

The sound of heavy footsteps begins the floodgate of silent tears to start rolling down my face. My eyes shut tightly, to the point where it hurts, and a single thought runs through my mind. 'I'm going to die.'

**---**

He watches as the clairvoyant struggles to regain a standing posture, the thought of helping the wounded man never crosses his mind. Even alive the thought would have never made its way into his head. Revenge is a marvelous thing, as long as Dennis was still lingering around the ghost he helped enslaved his torture would never end.

_'Where is she?'_ he finally asks, still watching Dennis' acting carefully.

Dennis holds his head, the powerful trashing The Hammer had put him through had left him slightly disoriented and rattled the psychics nerves. With the same cautious stare that the Prince was throwing off, Dennis waited for a threatening move from the younger ghost. Pleased with the unmoving presence, Dennis wipes the bottom of his mouth to discard the trail of saliva, _'I don't know. I told her to run when the Hammer showed up.'_

_'Idiot.'_ Royce mumbles slinging the baseball bat over his uninjured shoulder, _'I told you to not let her our of your goddamn sight.'_

Dennis glares, _'If you haven't noticed, there are almost ten other fucking ghosts trying to get their hands on her! And in case you forgot, I can't really do much about that.'_

_'Find her.'_ Royce orders as he walks down the hall, leaving behind a very pissed off clairvoyant.

**---**

I wince at the tight grip my right hand is having to endure right now, for a small child this little kid sure had some strength in him. His cold eyes stare up at me, I force a smile and he looks away. The First Born Child, also known as Billy, was the ghost near my hideout. He'd threatened to expose my location unless I agreed to play with him. The thought of declining did cross my mind, but the sight of his stained axe gripped in his little palms and the fear of being thrown at even more dangerous spirits crushed that stupid thought.

He's taken me around so many corners that by now I'm pretty positive that even if I escape from his grasp I wouldn't be able to make my way back. His grip tightens and he pulls me forward, causing me to fall to my knees. I look at the little boy and am quickly met with a dark frown.

_'Your not listening to me.'_ he states in a low terrifying tone.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I struggle to keep a cheerful look as I stand back onto my two feet.

His grip loosens and he gives me another smile, _'Why is your dress all cut up?'_

Billy begins to walk again, dragging me along right behind him, and waits patiently for my answer. "I fell and it got ripped." I lied. I worried he wouldn't buy the excuse, but Billy nods his head in acceptance and suddenly stops.

_'I've decided, you will stay with me forever.'_

I stare down at the child, bewildered by his odd comment, "What?"

_'You and me. Forever and ever.'_ he repeats to himself in a sing-song voice as he starts walking forward again.

I follow behind, no longer struggling to keep up with the boy, and feel a sudden weight of pity overwhelm me. Billy couldn't have been any older than eight, nine at the most, so it was only natural for him to still have some child-like tendencies. He glances towards me briefly and I find myself giving him a reassuring smile. That smile slowly fades, once his eyes have left my face, and I shun away in terror. Where it not for the arrow sticking out from his forehead and the disturbing trail of blood permanently tattooed on his face, Billy would look like an average boy. A little on the pale side, but still a normal little boy.

Robbed of life at such as young age and trapped in eternal hell for the rest of eternity. What an awful life, I could never see myself living in such conditions. Having to watch the living move about their lives happy and content, while I'm forced to bubble away in a fit of jealousy.

Again he looks up at me, by now he's not holding my hand in a death grip, and asks a simple question that forces me to stop in my tracks. _'What are you thinking about mommy?'_

**---**

They meet at an intersection of confusing halls, both frustrated from the abnormal structure of the destroyed building and both empty handed.

_'You find her?'_ Royce asks, his voice stained in annoyance. He didn't need to ask if the clairvoyant had found her, it was obvious from the lack of another persons presence that he hadn't.

_'No.'_ Dennis rubs the back of his head, _'Why is she so important? I mean, at first I thought you just wanted to do what you always do. Scare the shit outta her and have some fun before you kill her. But...' _Dennis pauses do to the glare Royce is throwing him.

Royce steps towards the taller man, _'Just. Find. Her. Ya dig?'_

Dennis takes a step back, both because he's afraid that Royce will go back in his deal of not torturing him with visions and because he knew Royce could cause even more damage with that bat of his.

Dennis nods.

Royce nods.

They both disappear to continue their search.

**---**

I've intentionally put space between the two of us, the sight of Billy's angry face when I told him never to call me _that_ again scared the crap outta me. I suppose it shouldn't have bothered me so much to hear him say those five letters, but still. The way he looked up at me while asking, with those big, curious bright blue eyes and the mixture of his innocent appearance (minus the blood and arrow of course) reminds me of what, no of _who_, I left behind.

Again he asks for my thoughts and again I shake my head, "No one."

At that he stops in my tracks and glares.

If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn to have seen a jealous ting in his lifeless eyes. Only then to I realize I had inadvertently given him a clue to what I was actually thinking about. "Nothing, I'm not thinking about anything."

Although it's obvious that I was lying, Billy takes a moment for the new statement to seep in and believes it. '_Good._' is all the child says returning to his slow pace.

I sigh in silent relief and continue behind him. He had promised to not give me up to the other ghost, only if I agreed to stay with him forever, and that he would take me to the first floor, out of the basement. If it weren't for the fact that the basement was a rubbled mess, I would have ditched the kid awhile back. But it seems like he know where he's actually going. So why risk getting lost, once again, in a disaster area with ten plus murderous ghosts.

"Um s-Billy," I scold myself for almost calling him sweetie. "Could we take a break? We've been walking none stop for the last twenty minutes and before you found me I had a years worth of running. My legs are hurting."

Billy doesn't look fazed one bit and it takes him awhile to finally agree to take a five minute break.

I plop down, not to lady-like might I add, on the floor and groan quietly as my legs stretch out before me. Billy mimics my actions and sits close to my right also stretching his legs. A small laugh causes his head to tilt in confusion and again I laugh softly.

_'I make you happy?'_ he scoots closer to me.

'Only because you remind me of someone else,' I think, shrugging my shoulders to answer his question. "How old are you Billy?" He holds up some fingers. I smile and nod, "I thought you'd be around there." He lays his head against my arm and I hold back the urge to wrap it around him. "Shouldn't you be angry at me?"

It's his turn to shrug his shoulder, _'I'm supposed to be. Everyone else is. But you remind me of my mommy.'_ His nose scrunches together to make a face, _'She never wore an ugly dress like this though.'_

I smirk and scoff, "Oh really? Well then, I'll make sure to never wear this again." His head bobs up and down in agreement. My smile dies away slowly as I comb through his matted hair. "Do you really know how to get out of here?"

**---**

_'Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.'_ he continues to chant the curse as he skids down the hall, turns the corner and sprints into yet another empty half demolished room. As he pushes himself against the wall, he hears the giggle rush past the room he'd picked out and sighs silently. Brushing away the sweat from his forehead, he gasps as his companion reappears. _'What the hell Royce!'_

_'She's with the ankle-biter.'_ Royce mumbles checking his back.

Dennis stares like a deer in headlights, _'What?'_

The teenager sighs in annoyance, _'The kid. She's with that snot-nosed brat.'_

Understanding now, Dennis nods,_ 'Then what are we waiting for?'_

Royce opens his mouth but is quickly silenced by a feminine scream.

**---**

"God! This is getting old quick." I yell in frustration, clutching Billy's hand in mine as we both run down the hall. Everything was fine just a few second ago, we weren't even making a single noise for any of the other ghosts to have be able to find us. "Billy, tell her to go away."

Billy shakes his head, _'No one listens to me.'_

I take a daring by look behind and scream ducking down to my knees barely missing a swing from the knife. Sparks fly above our heads as I panic to regain my footing. Billy helps by pulling me towards a new corridor, a light beams down further down the hall. The exit?

'I hope so.' I pull myself together and look down at Billy. "Run."

We both sprint towards the light. Even if we make it up the stairs the ghosts will be able to follow, but maybe their own freedom from this hell house would invoke their interest more than taken revenge on me. I think I hear someone yelling my name, to my right down a conjoint hall? I don't know what get into me, but my pace beings to slow down as my head turns to the side.

I could swear my breath stops, my jaw unhinges and inaudible gasp holds a firm grip on my face. A strong tug pulls me to my hands and knees as yet another splash of sparks being to shower us. She screams in frustration and lifts her weapon above her head for another attack. I pull Billy underneath my body, like a mother protecting her infant, and prepare myself for the blow.

It never came.

My eyes closed instinctively and all I could hear was the unmistakable sound of a struggle. An angry yell is the last thing I hear from her, but footsteps towards me and his voice filled with concern is the first thing I hear from him. I finally open my eyes, Billy struggling to get out of my grasp, and stare at the knight in shinning armor.

"Royce?"

**---**

I'm close to ending this little story of mine, which is really sad because I'm falling in love with the story all over again. I've got a bunch of endings running around in my little odd head, but they all seem so...**corny**? Haha, I guess we'll see. Thank you very much for the reviews.

By the way, sorry for any spelling errors or grammar errors.


	13. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I **DO NOT OWN **Thir13en Ghosts, Dark Castle Entertainment does. This story is just for entertainment purposes.

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Legame Eterno

Chapter Eleven.

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_I only took this job for the money. As much as it makes me feel like a money grubbing dirt bag...it's the truth. About a year ago I was approached by a woman at the super market I worked at. She promised me a lot of money if I agreed to help her with some project. I was skeptical at first, naturally, but she offered me a hundred grand on the spot as a 'down payment' to my services. Needless to say, I took the money. I was desperate._

_I had been left alone after the death of my mother and stepfather, but I quickly formed a bond with a woman at work. Bella Stone, a married woman with a five year old girl, was the only person I made friends with. I entrusted her with my only son before I left. I made sure that Bella, her daughter and my son, Clayton, would be set for as long as I had to be gone._

_Every paycheck that I got from my time spent helping recapture the twelve ghosts to once again rebuilt the gateway to hell._

There is an eerie silence between us.

I look over to him and swallow the lump in my throat.

"What did you expect me to say? That I took this job in order to see _you_ again?" I ask in a quiet tone.

He still doesn't want to face me. Royce has kept his back towards me since I began telling him my story, I've told him everything since that day he left up until the moment I took this job. Dennis and the little boy, Billy, left a long time ago. I was right with a thought I had earlier, freedom was more enticing that torturing someone like me.

Sighing quietly I push myself away from the trees shadow and look out towards the home that held me captive... that held all of us captive. I half hoped that once we had gotten out of the house I would be able to finish. But that came crashing down after realizing that I couldn't step farther than a mile away from the house without a sharp pain paralyzing me.

I'll get over it. I mean sure the aftermath of the little mental breakout I had after Dennis explained why wasn't completely out of my system as of yet, but it was getting there.

The silence is shattered with the sound of cars coming to a stop in front of the home. We both look, out of curiosity, and watch as a fleet of people begin to arrive.

* * *

White suited people descend upon what is left of the house. For the most part they are all quiet and are quickly moving through everything, keeping track of their findings in notepads.

A lone figure stood out among the working beehive of white workers, a man dressed in a black Versace suit with matching sunglasses. A lit cigarette hangs from his lips as he takes another slow glance at the scene before him. A woman turns towards him and overlooks the notepad in her hand, once happy with her findings she proceeds to make her way towards the man.

"Mr. K..." she is stopped short and is instructed to skip introduction and continue with their finding. She takes a moment to regain herself and eventually clears her throat, "We have found two bodies on the first floor and no bodies in the second floor. The basement, however, is a completely different story. Almost fifteen bodies, both male and female, and they were all scattered throughout the basement. The two upstairs have been identified as Daniel Leigh and Angeline Bennett.

"Both apparently died from a single gunshot wound. Mrs. Bennett was shot pointblank from the back of the dead, execution style. While Mr. Leigh, also shot from the back, was shot in the back which pierced through a vital organ. From the position of the opening of the gunshot it is suspected to be his lung." She finally pauses to see his reaction.

There isn't much of a response.

He begins his walk towards the basement stairs and slightly looks over towards the woman to continue once again. She follows behind, "The basement is a bloodbath, and most of the bodies are at the end of the first hall. A couple of them…" she trails off as the bodies come into view, "…are stacked by the entrance."

He finally speaks and takes the cigarette from his lips, tapping it between his fingers to discard ashes, "I'm taking a wild guess and going to say this wasn't done naturally either."

She nods, "Correct, Sir. These where found with their heads caved in with a blunt object, one or two have the sign of overkill, which means the person continued to inflict damage to the body even after the body was dead."

The man chuckles, "I think I know what overkill means, Ms. Prince."

Again, she nods and hides her embarrassment behind the notepad, "Um. Yes, well. The bodies down the first hall were torn apart and bashed against the cells." He moves farther down the main hallways and briefly looks into the cells that pass his way. Ms. Prince takes the moment to flip her page, "The woman who was in charge was found dead farther down. She was raped, tortured and eventually killed."

She heard him make a quiet scoff and withdrew the cigarette once again, mimicking his previous action, "Of course she was." A pause, he seems to be thinking to himself, "Idiot." He looks behind him, "Not you. Her."

Raising an eyebrow, she doesn't ask for any clarification and continues down the notes on her pad. "There was another woman found down here Sir. Her name is Annie Timberline and there was a file about her history in one of the studies upstairs." She quickly pulls out a page and hands it to him.

Taking the paper, he gives it a quick overview, "…Do you see something wrong with this paper?"

Prince nods, "Yes. The document is a complete phony. If this is the paper that she handed in when she began to work for the other woman then she should have been able to tell."

"That _woman_ was always an idiot!" he repeated loudly, making his voice echo throughout the basement. He regains his composure and removes his sunglasses, "What did you find out about the woman?"

A new paper is pulled out in front of Prince, "Her name is Annie, but it is Annie Berlet not Timberline. She was twenty-three years old and married, for a short period of time, in Valencia, Spain. The husband died shortly after she gave birth to her first child, a son, and then both completely disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"There was no activity in credit cards, not claim on welfare, no jobs, no communication with any living soul." She answers.

"What about parents? Or siblings?"

Prince shakes her head, "None that are living. Both parents are dead, father from a car crash when she was six and mother while delivering twins five years ago. Her oldest sister was found dead outside of Queens, New York, robbery gone wrong, and the twins were pronounced dead an hour after they were delivered. So she had no one."

There is a brief pause in their conversation. The echoing of the workers footsteps fills the quiet basement.

"She is in the next room." Prince mutters, already taking strides towards the only closed door. "It's weird. There are not markings on her, no cuts or scraps, almost as if someone had gone through a great deal to keep her from harm."

The door is opened. Inside is a smaller group of white suits overlooking the scene and in the middle of the room is a girl dressed in a red cocktail dress. Her hands on her stomach and hair carefully places around her, almost like a halo.

"Did you guys fix her up?" he asks moving in closer.

"No. Like I said it was weird. She was exactly like this when we found her." Prince takes another look at the girl, Annie, and sighs quietly. "She died from a poison. I won't know exactly which once until we run some tests on her, but the mark on her inner arm and the bruising suggest she wasn't a willing participant of the poison."

He sighs and takes his time to walk around the room, look at her again on the floor and makes his way back to the doorway. "Bag everyone up; we need to make this place disappear."

---

He's gone.

I'm alone again, but what else was I expecting.

From a distance I can see it. They don't even make an effort to cover the bodies as they are being brought out of the house. One by one, each body is crudely dumped in the back of an unmarked van. The red sticks out from the rest of the bodies and I _know _who it is.

It's me.


	14. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I **DO NOT **OWNThir13en Ghosts, Dark Castle Entertainment does.

"Blah" - Ghosts Talking.

"_Blah"_ – Living Talking.

Legame Eterno

Chapter Twelve

-

_When you die, they say it's supposed to be the end. Your life story comes to a close once that last breath is taken, no matter the situation. But those people are wrong. So completely and utterly wrong. It's just the beginning of a new after life. One where rules don't apply, limitations are strictly enforces, and you do what you have to do._

Watching is all I seem to be able to do. I think he may have brought me here just to torture me, but he has yet to take advantage of the situation. By 'here', I mean a small playground with a handle full of children running around, and by 'he'... I mean Royce Clayton.

For the past two years, I've managed to figure things out on my own. What my limitations as a ghost were, how to control my focus onto solid objects in order to move them around, and ignoring the painful truth. Then, two days ago, he shows up, out of nowhere, and forces me to come with him. The entire trip here was spent in silence.

I glance behind me and notice he's still leaning against his car, his attention everywhere else but on me. Annoyed, I look away and stare at the children, some play with the swing sets, while others run around playing tag. There's that little pain in my chest, I was beginning to wonder if it would make an appearance. Hell and I had done such a good job at ignoring it before.

A new weight is placed on the bench beside me, the smell of cigarette makes it easy for me to figure out who it is. "Which one is he?"

I snap my head towards him, "What?"

He doesn't repeat the question, but it does take me a moment to put two and two together. I ignore his ridicules question and glare with pure hatred, "Is that why you dragged me here? You son of a bi-"

"_Clayton, I told you to share with Clare."_

_No._ I look away from him and quickly search for the woman I _knew_ owned the voice. I half hoped it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, but the second my eyes fell on a blond haired, blue eyed little girl dressed in pink...my heart sank. It was Bella daughter, Clare. A foot away from the teary eyed little girl stood a boy about the same age as she.

I struggle to hold my emotions in check. Royce goes to stand, but I grab his arm before he can fully stand. "No. W-what are you doing." He doesn't respond and he doesn't make any movements to remove my grasp. "Don't hurt him. Please."

* * *

"I'm not a bad of a monster as you think I am." Royce replies, returning to a comfortable position on the bench. He hears a soft sigh of relief leave her lips before her grip loosens, but her hand remains on him.

Annie turns her attention back to her son, catching him frowning at Bella's daughter as he hands over a sucker in his grasp. It brings a small smile to her face, but it disappears just as quickly as it appeared. "Why did you bring me here...Royce?"

Her gaze returns to the dead teen. He shrugs his shoulders, "Redemption."

"What?"

Royce looks away, briefly, as he internally debating whether or not to fully explain himself to her. Deciding against it, Royce lights a new cigarette and shrugs his shoulders once again.

She glares and tries to grab the nicotine stick from his mouth, but Royce tilts his head away and grabs her wrist. "That isn't an answer, Clayton. What the hell are you talking about? If you lay one finger on my son."

His grip tightens, "Is that the only way you see me as? Willing to do anything for a cheap thrill?"

"I-" Annie would have jumped away in surprise where it not for the fact Royce's death grip kept her pinned. Tugging at the hand, she frowns at the teen, "What do you expect Royce? I mean, I _saw_ you kill someone! You would have killed me too if it weren't for my team. All the newspaper clippings I had to spend looking at. It'll never be wiped clean. It's just your nature to want to hu-"

"No!" He pulls her closer, his free hand forcing her face to stay focused on his, and glares down. "You haven't learned anything, have ya, Doll? It ain't all about the bad things, besides you gotta do what you gotta do. Ya dig?"

Annie stares. The brief image of a similar conversation between the two, long before the ghost hunting, suddenly refreshes her memory. She shakes her head, "No, Royce, I don't _dig_. You didn't have to! I haven't and look at me, I'm perfectly fine."

He smirks, "It'll eat away at you."

She flinches away, the look in his eyes scaring her to the core, and begins to struggle out of his grasp. His hold on her tightens and she starts to panic. Against her will, a whimper escapes her lips and she pushes against his chest. "Royce!"

Suddenly, his grip is gone and she's free from her dangerous situation.

Struggling to calm her nerves, she carefully eyes Royce and mentally encloses herself. This Royce and the Royce she came to fall for as a teenager were not the same. She herself wasn't the same as her teenage counterpart, but that fact didn't help her cement her attitude towards the dead boy.

The dark look in his eyes had been replaced with a confused one, his head cocks to the side as he pulls the cancer stick from his lips. His mouth opens, but Annie holds up her hand to stop him. "Just one questions, with a straight answer, please and I'll stop asking." She pauses and notices Royce nods. "...Honestly, why did you bring me to my son?"

She sees him beginning to shrug, but instead he pulls himself into a better posture before answering. "Thought I'd do something nice for you, baby. Proves I'm not as bad as you have me pegged for."

So, he wasn't a complete heartless bastard. Annie sighs, running a hand through her hair, and takes her seat next to Royce again. Conflicting emotions battle deeply, but she manages to keep a stoic look. "Royce, my opinion of you won't just flip with in a minute..." she side glances toward Royce and notices a frown on his face. "Thank you, though. Thank you very much for this."

He grunts and they two remain in silence.

Annie looks away from the teen and watches the two children playing together a few feet from a woman. Clayton and Clare, each hold their own plastic shovel with an orange bucket lays a few inches from them, giggle towards each other as they continue their childish game.

"You know, I find it strange that we seem to bump into each other a lot. It can't just be coincidence." she mumbles.

He snorts, "Fate's got a twisted sense of humor."

"We are eternally bound." She laughs to herself, 'Like a married couple.'

- - -

**A/N:** There ya go ladies and gents! The End. A little 'Ha Ha' moment with the last line, Legame Eterno means Eternal Bond in Italian. Good or Bad ending? I'm already getting ideas on how I _could _keep this going, but it would probably just be random stories of Royce and Annie traveling.

The line: _He smirks, "It'll eat away at you." _Gave me a burst of ideas on how Annie struggles with the ghost world and so forth. Meh, guess time will tell.


End file.
